Stolen Half
by TMNTfan1
Summary: Alia is the daughter of Aladdin and Jasmine. She's not like all the other prissy princesses in Auradon Prep. She's independent, athletic, and mischievous; and she's one of the few students who support Prince Ben's proclamation to bring four villain kids over from the Isle of the Lost. What will she think of Jafar's son? (Not a typical Jay-Aladdin's daughter story, I swear!)
1. Chapter 1

Large, brown, almond-shaped eyes glanced casually around the hallway as the raven-haired beauty moved with the crowd of her classmates after class. Her eyes easily found the head of golden brown hair near the lockers. She casually wove between people until she could approach the guy with his head in his locker, easily recognizing his number 23 on his blue letter jacket with yellow sleeves.

The girl pulled her white hood over her head as she approached him. A quick glance over his form showed his phone peaking out of his jacket pocket. She approached him casually and "accidentally" bumped her arm and shoulder into him. Mumbling an apology, she continued on her way, stuffing his phone into the pocket of her white hoodie.

With a slight grin tugging at her lips, the girl continued on to the dorms, going up a couple flights of stairs.

She entered the dorm she shared with her friend, Lonnie, to find her roommate on her laptop on her bed.

"Hey Lonnie." she greeted the other girl, passing Lonnie's bed on the way to her own and dropping the cell on the other girl's bed.

"Hey Alia." Lonnie mumbled before her eyes landed on the cell phone now sitting on her pink and blue comforter. "Is that…?" she asked abruptly, sitting up straight.

"Charming's cell. Yep. You're welcome." Alia nodded with a smirk. She unzipped her white midriff hoodie, pulling it off and tossing it onto her bed, leaving her in white skinny jeans and a plain purple v-neck t-shirt.

"You never cease to amaze me!" Lonnie exclaimed, snatching up the cell phone and looking through it, her short, black hair swinging. "Let's see what we can find out about Charming Chad…" she mumbled sarcastically, her eyes fixed hungrily on the screen.

Alia sighed, plopping down on her bed and grabbing her hairbrush off her bedside table. She normally didn't care about her hair, but it was thick enough and long enough that if she didn't brush it regularly it would get nice and tangled.

Thankfully, her hair was cooperative today. She ran her brush through her thick mane maybe ten times and it was back to it's sleek, shining black. Brushing it back off her shoulders, it fell to the middle of her back, the ends tickling the small of her back where her shirt had ridden up.

"Anything good in there?" Alia asked curiously, leaning back on her hands.

"Hmm…maybe…" Lonnie bit her lip, still scrolling through something. Then, her eyes lit up. "Yes! Look at this!" She shot up from her bed, dropping her laptop on her bed, and scurried over to Alia's bed. She plopped down next to Alia and held the phone out for her to see. "Look at all the girls in here."

Alia took the phone from her friend and started scrolling through all the contacts in Chad's phone that he'd recently been texting. There were hardly any actual names apart from his friends and tourney teammates, most of them saved under labels like Blonde Girl, Blonde Girl's Friend, Choir Girl, Maybe Sarah?, Science Class Girl, Girl from Party, and Pet Store Girl.

"And look at what he's been saying to all of them." Lonnie continued, reaching over and tapping a contact at random. She did this a few more times to see what Chad had been texting to all these girls. He was clearly leading all of them on, communicating as if they were all his girlfriends. It was sickening.

"That's just sick." Alia sighed, shaking her head before passing the phone back to Lonnie. "You going to report on it?"

"Of course!" Lonnie beamed, hurrying back over to her bed to grab her laptop. "I'll post it tonight, after curfew." she added, referring to the online video series she'd started secretly, called School of Secrets. Alia was the only person in the whole school who knew it was Lonnie behind the camera, and that was only because they'd thought up the idea together. Alia mostly contributed by getting Lonnie extra information, like she did with Chad's phone. Of course, within the next couple days, she'll return Chad's phone as if he'd left it in his bag or something. He'd be none the wiser.

A loud bang erupted around the dorm room, causing Alia and Lonnie's heads to snap up in shock as Audrey stormed into the room.

"Um, hello Audrey. Please, come in, thank you for knocking." Alia greeted the brunette princess sarcastically.

"You'll never believe what Ben's done." Audrey snapped, sitting down on the edge of Lonnie's bed and crossing her arms firmly over her chest. Lonnie casually slipped Chad's phone into her bag so Audrey wouldn't see it.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Alia pouted mockingly. "Did he not buy you your daily bouquet of roses?"

Audrey glared at her.

"I'll have you know, Ben's just announced his first official proclamation as King." Audrey announced dramatically.

Alia tilted her head slightly, her interest now peaked. "Can he do that? He's not King for another month."

"Well, he's done it!" Audrey shrieked shrilly, making Alia wince and cover her ears, more to be funny than due to it actually hurting.

"What's the proclamation?" Lonnie asked curiously.

"He wants to…Oh, it's too horrible to say!" Audrey exclaimed dramatically, putting the back of her hand to her forehead.

Alia rolled her eyes. She wasn't all that fond of Sleeping Beauty's spoiled daughter. "It can't be that bad. It's Ben. What's the worst he could do?"

Audrey glared at her again. "He's chosen four kids from the _Isle of the Lost_ to come here!"

Silence fell for several moments as Alia and Lonnie stared at her. Despite being so upset about it moments ago, Audrey seemed satisfied to have their attention now.

"Um,…okay. Did he say why he made that decision?" Alia asked, still slightly in shock.

"Some nonsense about how they're not their parents, and that the children are innocent." Audrey explained with a roll of her eyes. "Absolutely ridiculous if you ask me-"

"Well, he's right." Alia interrupted before Audrey could go on a tirade. Interrupting someone went against all her schooling, but she also had her opinion, and she fully intended to state it. "Everything those villains did happened years before their children were born. It's not fair they were pretty much born into exile."

"Of course you say that now." Audrey scoffed. "You don't know who he chose!"

"Well, then tell us!" Lonnie exclaimed, shaking Audrey's arm.

"He chose the children of some of the most horrible, evil villains in history!" Audrey exclaimed. "Cruella De Vil! The Evil Queen! _Maleficent_!"

Alia winced slightly. She stood by what she said, but she also could understand why Audrey would be scared of Maleficent's child coming to Auradon.

"Audrey, I'm sure it'll be fine." Lonnie soothed, rubbing Audrey's back. "No one will let Maleficent hurt anyone, and her son or daughter won't necessarily be like her."

"You said there were four villain kids coming to Auradon." Alia pointed out slowly. "Who's the fourth?"

Audrey gave her an arrogant look, as if she was superior to Alia. She was silent for a few seconds, as if she were trying to be dramatic about the reveal. Finally, she spoke a name that had sent chills down Alia's spine for as long as she could remember.

"Jafar."

Alia struggled to swallow for several seconds. She managed to maintain a blank expression, though she wasn't sure if her normally tan skin maintained it's usual color, or if it paled slightly.

"Oh." was all she managed to utter.

"Not such a great idea now, is it?" Audrey sneered.

Alia glared at her. "Actually, I still think it's a great idea. It's not fair to punish children for the crimes of their parents."

"Even after everything Jafar did to your family?" Audrey asked in disbelief. "He tried to murder your parents, he took over your grandfather's throne, he-"

"You don't have to remind me of every crime that man committed." Alia snapped, glaring at Audrey through narrowed eyes. "I know better than you what he did. I know the history of my family and my kingdom better than you. You don't see me rubbing Maleficent's crimes in your face. So just drop it, Audrey."

Audrey huffed. "Fine." Standing up, she flounced out of the room and down the hallway, probably in search of someone who would sympathize with her dilemma.

"Well, I think things around Auradon are about to get a bit more interesting." Lonnie mused, glancing over at Alia. "Are you really okay with Jafar's son or daughter coming here?"

Alia sighed, glancing back at her bedside table at a picture of her family. "I guess I won't know for sure until I meet them."

The photo on her bedside table was an official royal family photograph of her and her parents. She sat front and center in the photo, dressed in a purple-colored Arabian dress that had lace sleeves, her thick, black hair falling down her back. She had her mother's eyes, both in color and shape, thick, black eyebrows, and a nose that was similar to her mom's but not quite as narrow. And though her dress hid her curves, she was far from fat, but she didn't have the slim waist her mother had.

Alia's mother, Sultana Jasmine, sat behind one of her shoulders, seated a bit taller than Alia due to a taller chair, though that wasn't shone in the photo. She was dressed in a similar elegant dress that draped delicately over her slender shoulders, but in a light sea green that made her tan skin glow in a way Alia envied. She hadn't changed much in the last twenty years since she married Aladdin. Her hair was still thick and as black as a raven's feathers. She wore it pulled back loosely in the photo so it hung down past her waist. Her big, almond-shaped, brown eyes sparkled in the photo, and her smile was as warm and loving as it was in everyday life. She'd matured mentally and physically in the years and rarely wore her casual sea green tubetop other than at home.

Finally, behind Alia's other shoulder stood her father dressed in his cream-colored Sultan robe and pants, his turban covering his black hair that had a few strands of gray on the sides. He was still fit, though not as built as he once was, probably due to the many lavish feasts in the palace that made him only slightly plump around the belly, though he was nowhere near as large as Alia's grandfather, the former Sultan who still lived with them in the palace in Agrabah. In the photo, he was smiling politely, though Alia couldn't help noticing the lack of that usual mischievous glint in his brown eyes. It was still a genuine smile, but it wasn't his usual smile that he typically reserved for family and friends.

Alia sighed, laying down on her bed and gazing distractedly at the wooden floor.

She just really hoped that Ben's new proclamation didn't allow history to repeat itself.


	2. Chapter 2

Alia didn't join the rest of the school on the front lawn when the four villain kids arrived, because she had to scramble to get some research done for a History of Auradon essay that was due in a few days. However, she did catch a glimpse of the four kids from her dorm window. All she could really see, though, was what looked like someone with purple hair, someone with blue hair, someone with white hair, and then someone with long, dark hair with what looked like a red hat of some kind on their head.

Checking the time, Alia realized she was running late to meet up with her partner to actually write out their essay. Grabbing up all her things and stuffing them into her shoulder bag, she hurried from her dorm, not caring that her door slammed shut behind her.

Hurrying down a couple flights of stairs in the dormitory, she hurried around a corner-

Only to smack right into someone.

"Whoa." her voice was echoed by a second, deeper one. Her hands instinctively pushed at the person's chest while hands closed around her upper arms. The feeling of calloused fingers and leather chafed against her skin and she instinctively looked up.

Long, dark brown hair framed a chiseled face, but Alia found herself staring at his eyes. They were a dark chocolate brown and a slight almond shape. His eyes alone could probably draw any girl in, but that wasn't why Alia found herself staring. There was something…familiar about those eyes. As if she'd seen them before. She released a breath, suddenly feeling…as if something had been missing before, and now it wasn't.

"Ahem."

Alia jerked back, taking a few steps away from the boy. Her hands instinctively grabbed ahold of her bag's strap across her chest, twisting it in her hands. She glanced over her shoulder at Doug, the son of Dopey, who was dressed in his band uniform. He had been the one to clear his throat. She caught a glimpse of two girls with him, one in blue, and one in purple. She licked her lips nervously, glancing once more at the boy she'd run into. He had tan skin similar to her own, long, brown hair, and was wearing a red beanie, a red, blue, and yellow vest that showed off tone arms, and blue pants.

Mumbling a 'sorry', she hurried past him and down the hall. However, she couldn't help glancing over her shoulder, her pace instinctively slowing when she was a safe distance.

The boy was talking to another, shorter boy, this one with black and white hair in a red, black, and white jacket. The two hadn't rounded the corner yet.

The boy seemed to feel the same impulse as Alia, because he also glanced back at her. Their eyes met for a second before he turned to follow his friend around the corner, but not before Alia caught sight of the back of his jacket.

In the middle of the dark red leather covering his wide back, was a familiar golden-colored cobra.

Alia's breathing picked up and she hurried down the hall away from him. She didn't really pay attention to where she was going, all her frazzled mind could register was that she needed to put some distance between herself and that boy.

"Whoa!" Alia stopped when she almost ran into someone, her wide eyes jerking up to look at the person.

Jordan, the daughter of Genie, was Alia's best friend since childhood, given they grew up together because of their fathers. Unlike her father, Jordan had fair skin, a few shades lighter than Alia's. She also had light blue eyes and long, black hair with pink highlights, which she currently had tied in a high ponytail. She was also much more fashion-forward than Alia. She was wearing her favorite, blue harem pants, golden jacket, gold bracelets, a gold necklace, and a golden head chain with a sapphire in the center.

"Whoa, girl, where's the fire?" Jordan asked, eyeing her curiously. She was standing in front of a shelf in the residence halls, where her magic lamp sat on the shelf.

"I don't-I think-I just-" Alia stuttered over her words, unsure what to say or what she was even feeling.

"Okay, slow down, take a deep breath." Jordan instructed.

Alia did as told, taking a deep breath multiple times until she felt calm enough to put her thoughts in order.

"Now, tell me what just happened to put you in a panic attack." Jordan instructed.

Alia took another deep breath before she started speaking. "I…ran into someone. A guy. And…" she trailed off, unsure how to word what happened. She'd never been this out of sorts before. "His eyes…"

"Whoa." Jordan laughed, a smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. "Is the great princess Alia _actually_ getting flustered over a boy?" she teased.

It was fairly common knowledge that Alia had never dated, and never had any interest in dating. Sure, she'd been asked a few times, but she wasn't like all the other prissy princesses who were obsessed with finding their prince charmings. It probably had something to do with the fact that her parents, her mother especially, had drilled it into her mind from a young age that she didn't need a man. Her mother had almost been forced into marriage by her sixteenth birthday, a birthday that Alia had recently celebrated. Luckily, her parents, the current Sultan and Sultana of Agrabah, had changed some of the ancient laws to match present day. Alia was not required to marry anyone before she was ready, and it wouldn't have to be a prince thanks to her grandfather changing the laws when her parents were young. And she would only be taking over her parents' thrown as Sultana of Agrabah after at least several more years of training and when her parents were old and gray. Which wouldn't be for a while.

Alia glared at Jordan. "Not like that, Jor. He was…it wasn't like that." she admitted quietly, still unsure about the situation. "His eyes were so…familiar."

"Familiar. Like you know him?" Jordan asked. "Why were his eyes familiar but not his face?"

"I don't know." Alia admitted with a shrug. "But that's not all. When I walked past him, I glanced back and…on the back of his vest was a golden cobra."

Jordan's eyes widened slightly. "You mean,…"

"He was Jafar's son." Alia whispered.

Jordan nodded thoughtfully, glancing around for a moment. "Do you think that's why his eyes were familiar? Maybe he has his father's eyes?"

Alia thought about it for a moment. It made sense. But all she'd ever seen of Jafar were pictures and paintings. Could she really recognize the similarities between a person and a picture?

"I guess." Alia admitted. "I think…He looked just as surprised as me, though. Like he recognized me, too."

"His father's probably shown him pictures of your parents." Jordan explained it away.

"Right." Alia nodded firmly. That had to be it. It made perfect sense.

Jordan eyed her for a few moments, fighting a smirk. "So,…what's he like?"

Alia rolled her eyes. "Can we start working on our essay, please?"

"Kill joy." Jordan grumbled. "Fine. Come on into my lamp."

 **OoOoO**

 **Please note that Jordan is not my character. She's from the Descendants cartoon series Wicked World.**

 **Also, reviews are wonderful and keep me writing. I appreciate everyone who's reviewed so far. So please feel free to let me know what you think of chapter two and the story so far.**


	3. Chapter 3

Alia hurried to her locker, knowing she was running a little late. She'd stopped to talk to the Good Fairy, Fauna, who was the teacher for her first class, Enchanted Forestry. Now she was running a bit late to get to her next class.

Slamming her locker shut, she ran down the hallway and rounded a corner-

Only to smack into someone.

Alia gasped in surprise, practically bouncing off the person. Hands once again gripped her upper arms, and she instantly recognized the calloused fingers and smooth leather on her skin. Looking up in surprise, she found herself staring into those same, familiar eyes as the day before. This time, however, they were sparkling with amusement, something that made them look even more familiar somehow.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this." the boy told her jokingly, releasing her arms.

Alia laughed slightly, taking a step back so they weren't in each other's faces. "Yeah, I guess so."

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked her over while Alia subtly looked him over as well. He was dressed in pretty much the same outfit as the day before, a red, blue, and yellow vest that left his arms on display. Though he wasn't wearing a beanie today.

"So, can I get a name?" he asked smoothly, meeting her eyes again. Alia found herself smiling genuinely. Something about his presence grounded her, and she wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Alia." she answered, offering a hand to shake.

He took it, shaking it once. "Jay."

"It's nice to meet you." Alia told him after they'd released each other's hands. "Sorry about running into you-twice now."

Jay laughed. "It's no problem, really. You're hardly big enough to do any damage. Though, I have to ask, are you always in a big hurry?"

"No, normally I'm not. I got held after my last class to talk to the teacher. Which reminds me, I'm running late for my second period, so I should get going." Pausing for a moment, Alia hesitated before she asked, "Do you need any help finding a class?"

Jay tilted his head slightly as he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket and held it up. "I've got Safety Rules for the Internet for second period."

"And do you know where that is?" Alia checked, trying not to smile.

Jay glanced around. "On this floor?" he guessed, mostly joking.

Alia chuckled. "Well, yes. That's actually my second class, too, so you could walk with me if you want."

"Sweet. First day and I already get to walk a pretty girl to class." Jay smirked, moving to Alia's side as she started walking down the hallway again, this time at a more leisurely pace.

"Ha ha, very funny."

They reached the classroom within a minute and entered the computer lab just as the bell rang. Alia moved to the back of the class to take her usual seat. To her surprise, Jay followed and sat next to her. She saw the blue-haired girl from the Isle sitting a few rows up and would've thought Jay would want to sit with his friend. Then again, maybe he figured he could get away with not listening if he sat in the back.

Alia rested her cheek in her hand, her elbow on the desk next to her computer mouse. This was one of her easiest classes, so she rarely paid any attention.

Feeling something bump her elbow, she glanced over at Jay.

"I don't suppose you know where these other classes are?" he asked quietly, handing his schedule back to her.

Taking it from him, she looked it over. She glanced at the teacher, ensuring his back was to them, before scooting her chair closer to Jay's.

"You've got Grammar and History of Auradon for third and fourth period. I've got those classes, too, so you could just walk with me for those classes. Basic Chivalry…" Alia frowned slightly. "I'm not positive where that one is. It's for boys only. I think it's near the gym, but I'm not sure. Remedial Goodness…I think that room number is one of the small rooms in the library. So that's just across the hallway from this room. History of Woodsmen and Pirates is on the second floor on the other side of the school. Just follow the room numbers. And Mathematics is just down the hall here." she told him, pointing in the direction of the classroom. "I have that with you, too."

"Sweet. So I get to spend all kinds of time with you." Jay smirked, taking the schedule back.

Alia glanced away awkwardly, crossing her arms on the desk by the keyboard. "I guess." she whispered. She found that so far she was only uncomfortable around Jay when he flirted with her. That just felt weird.

The class dragged on, and when it finally was dismissed, Alia and Jay stood up and grabbed their things.

"Hey, Evie!" Jay called, causing the blue-haired girl to turn to him and wait. Jay and Alia approached her. "What class do you have next?"

"Grammar." she stated easily.

"Sweet, that's where we're heading." Jay grinned, glancing at Alia. "This is Alia."

Evie smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Evie."

"Nice to meet you, too." Alia returned with a smile. She could tell she was going to like Evie. She seemed sweet. "Come on. I can show you guys where the class is."

They reached the Grammar classroom with plenty of time to spare. Alia sat in the back and Jay sat next to her in the next row while Evie took the seat in front of Jay. The blue-haired girl instantly pulled out a small, hand-held mirror and started fixing her makeup.

Alia turned away from the new kids to reach down into her backpack, planning on pulling out her notebook. She paused for half a second, recognizing the feeling in her back pants pocket.

Her hand shot down, tightly gripping a thick wrist. She turned her head a second later to meet a pair of familiar, slightly wide, brown eyes. Jay was gaping at her, leaning over with his fingers gripping the edge of her wallet in her back pocket.

"How did you _do_ that?" Jay whispered in awe, glancing down at where Alia was still gripping his wrist. From his reaction, she guessed he'd never gotten caught before.

"You're not the only one who knows how to steal around here." Alia whispered easily, releasing his arm. He pulled it back slowly, sitting up straight in his desk even though his eyes remained fixed on her face.

" _You_ steal things?" Jay repeated in shock. "I thought people in Auradon didn't do that kind of stuff."

Alia blushed slightly, glancing around to ensure no one was listening in. "Well,…I don't do it…I mean, I don't just randomly take things. I only do it if…I only do it under certain circumstances." she whispered, glancing over at him. He was still watching her curiously. "The world isn't completely black and white, you know. It's not just good and evil. I don't steal with cruel or evil intent."

"Where'd you learn to steal? Is your dad Robin Hood or something?" Jay asked with a slight smirk.

Alia glanced away, grinning slightly because she was caught between uncomfortable and slightly amused. His sense of humor was similar to her own in a way. "Well,…I did pick it up from my dad." she admitted. "But he's not Robin Hood."

Jay tilted his head again. "Well, now you've got me curious."

"My dad grew up on the streets." Alia admitted. "He had to steal to survive. That didn't make him evil. Of course, my mom wishes I wouldn't steal, but I usually return whatever it is. I do it mostly to mess with people. Or to people who deserve it."

Jay chuckled slightly, shaking his head in amusement. "So, are you going to tell me who your dad is?"

Alia swallowed thickly, glancing nervously at him. Jay's smile fell as he watched her struggle. He started to get an idea of what name she was going to say.

"My parents are Aladdin and Jasmine." she finally admitted.

Jay's mouth fell open, even though he'd guessed that was what she would say. And it made sense, now that he thought about it. She was obviously of Arabian decent, like him. And maybe that was why she'd been so familiar when they met. She did look a lot like Jasmine.

"Oh." was all he could come up with. He wasn't sure what to say other than that. _'Does she know who my dad is?'_ he wondered to himself.

As if she could read his mind, she said, "You don't have to worry. I know who your dad is, and I don't hate you for it. Of course, you might hate me. I don't know."

Jay's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why would I hate you?"

Alia's eyebrows rose. She would've thought it was obvious. "Well,…I don't know, I guess I just thought Jafar would've…In all the stories I was told, Jafar was obviously the villain. But every story has two sides. I just figured Jafar would've told you a version that made my parents out to be the bad guys. I thought maybe you'd hate me for what my parents did."

Jay gaped at her slightly. He'd expected a lot of people in Auradon to hate and fear him and his friends because of their parents, but he'd never thought of it the other way around. Sure, his dad hated Aladdin and his genie and wanted revenge, and he'd drilled those thoughts into Jay for as long as he could remember, but…try as he might, he couldn't really bring up genuine hatred for the people who'd ruined his father's life. He'd never met them, he'd only ever heard of them and seen them on the news. If anything, he hated King Beast more than Aladdin, because Beast was the one to trap them all on the Isle.

Finally closing his mouth, Jay looked down at his desk, but spoke quietly to Alia. "I don't hate you." Then, he smirked slightly, peaking at her from the corner of his eyes. "I wouldn't waste the effort hating someone I hardly know."

Alia grinned in return.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that day, Alia ran as fast as she could across the school grounds, her backpack flopping back and forth against her back with her stride. Finally, the tourney field came into view. It was already swarming with guys in blue or yellow jerseys and the cheerleaders were practicing on the sidelines.

Hurrying around to the front of the bleachers, she found Lonnie sitting right on the front row of bleachers, her bag sitting by her feet.

"Hey. I'm here." Alia panted, dropping her bag on the ground and sitting next to her roommate.

"I was starting to wonder." Lonnie teased. "They're going to start soon. Though, I'm kinda worried about that little guy." she added, pointing at a boy in a yellow jersey who was a bit shorter than everyone else. "He's one of the boys from the Isle. Cruella's son, I think? He looked so lost out there a moment ago."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Alia assured her with a shrug.

Coach Jenkins blew his whistle in that moment and the ball was thrown into play. The blue team had it in their possession, one of the players easily knocking a yellow player to the ground.

Alia found her eyes drawn to one of the blue players. He'd just knocked someone down and then easily took out a second guy moments later, causing the rival player to literally go bottoms up. When the guy in blue, who Alia guessed was Jay by the long hair pouring out from under his helmet, ran on to his next opponent, Alia saw the yellow boy sit up and pull his helmet off, revealing Chad's exhausted face.

Jay took out the yellow player who had the ball just as he reached the Kill Zone. The Dragoneer began shooting projectiles from the Dragon Cannon, but Jay dodged them expertly. Alia found herself cheering and clapping, watching as Jay dodged the Dragon Fire with expert flips, spins, and cartwheels until he was out of the Kill Zone with the ball. He took out another player and hit the ball. His friend, the little guy who Alia still wasn't familiar with, fell down and protected himself with his shield, which made Alia laugh. But Jay just used the guy's shield as a step to run right over him. Ben, also in a blue jersey, went for the ball, but Jay took him out with his shoulder, making Alia wince. He then scooped up the ball with his tourney stick, tossed it up in the air, and smacked it right into the goal. The goalie didn't have a chance at stopping it.

Alia cheered loudly, along with several of the cheerleaders and a few other people spattered around the bleachers.

"Wow! He's really good!" Lonnie cheered, clapping wildly at Alia's side. Meanwhile, Jay had chased the goalie from his post. He then threw down his stick, threw off his helmet, and did a funny victory dance. He even spun on his back on the ground and popped right back up. That was impressive.

Several people were still on the ground where Jay knocked them down. But Alia noticed Chad exaggerating a limp. She knew what a real limp looked like, and he knew nothing about acting.

"I wish Coach wouldn't put Chad on the team." Alia muttered, nodding toward said prince for Lonnie to see. "I bet you I could play Tourney a thousand times better than him."

"Same." Lonnie agreed with a grin. "But I'd much rather be on the Swords and Shields team." While Lonnie typically dressed in light pinks and blues, she wasn't a pampered girly-girl. She knew how to fight and was extremely athletic.

Alia nodded in agreement. She'd love to be on the Swords and Shields team, too. It was a sword fighting sport, similar to fencing but with more flips and moves. Alia had been sword fighting since she was little, thanks to her dad teaching her. Her parents didn't want her to be as shielded as her mother was growing up. They took her out into the village regularly to see what life was like for her people. And her parents wanted her to be able to defend herself should she find herself unprotected in a bad situation. Hence the sword fighting and basic hand-to-hand-combat skills.

"You!" Coach yelled, pointing at Jay. "Get over here!"

Jay looked around for a moment, looking almost lost as he headed toward the sidelines of the field. The rest of the team gathered, as well. The coach had sounded angry, but Alia knew him pretty well from gym class and working out in the gym before classes. He was going to love Jay.

Since Alia and Lonnie were in the front row, they were mere feet from the team as they gathered around the coach and his assistant.

"What d'ya call that?" Coach demanded loudly, pointing toward the goal to indicate what'd just happened. Jay glanced over his shoulder, thinking he was in trouble. "I call that raw talent." Coach continued, a grin in his voice that Alia couldn't see from behind. She also grinned, mostly because Chad was standing behind Jay and looked utterly pissed off. Jay grinned again, realizing he wasn't in trouble. "Come find me later, I'll show you something you haven't seen before. It's called a rule book." Coach laughed. "Welcome to the team, son." he added, smacking Jay's shoulder.

Chad looked completely disgusted.

Coach then turned to where Ben was standing behind a smaller boy with hair that was mostly white but black at the roots. He came to just above Ben's chin.

"Ya ever thought about band?" Coach asked in a somewhat flat voice, clearly unimpressed with the boy's performance.

The white haired boy laughed sarcastically, while Jay let out a genuine laugh, looking over at his short friend. Alia found her eyes drawn to him at the sound. That laugh…it sounded so familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on where she'd heard it before.

"I'll work with him, Coach." Ben volunteered instantly.

"Alright." Coach agreed reluctantly before turning to the rest of the team. "Let's run that again!" he shouted before blowing his whistle.

Jay grinned crookedly, letting out a 'woo' before turning around, only to find Chad Charming sizing him up. It was amusing, watching the pampered prince draw himself up to his full height in an attempt to intimidate the Isle kid. Jay paused for only a moment before walking past Chad, slamming his shoulder into Chad's. Alia wasn't sure if he really smacked him that hard, or if Chad was just that much of wimp, but the prince grabbed his shoulder as if it'd been dislocated.

Alia scoffed. Chad glanced at her, glaring for a moment before turning to follow his team back onto the field.

"I repeat." Alia stated, turning to Lonnie. "I could play a _thousand_ times better than Chad."

Lonnie giggled.

The guys went through a couple different plays and at the end Coach told them he'd let them know who made the team and who didn't within a couple days. Alia and Lonnie grabbed their bags off the ground and stood up, getting ready to head for the school. It was nearing dinner time.

"Hey, Alia!" Jay called. Alia glanced back in time for Jay and Carlos to catch up to her and Lonnie, leaving Alia walking between her best friend and Jay. "Enjoy the show?" he asked with a smirk.

Alia ignored his flirty tone, having learned Jay was a huge flirt with any girl he met. "Yes! You were awesome out there! Especially knocking Chad Charming on his butt! That was my favorite part, hands down."

Jay looked thoughtful. "Which one was he? I knocked quite a few guys down, in case you didn't notice."

"He was the one that tried sizing you up after you spoke with Coach. You knocked into his shoulder when you walked past him." Alia explained.

"Oh, him." Jay's eyebrows rose at the realization. "Well, he had it comin' then."

"You have no idea." Lonnie chuckled, shaking her head.

"Oh, sorry. Jay, this is Lonnie. Lonnie, Jay." Alia waved her hand between them.

"I was wondering who your beautiful friend was." Jay smirked, reaching across Alia to offer his hand. "Nice to meet you." he added, giving Lonnie a wink as she shook his hand.

"You too." she returned, easily brushing off his flirting. She was never fazed by boys.

"So,…I don't think I've met your friend, yet." Alia pointed out, glancing at Carlos with a friendly smile.

"Oh, yeah, this is Carlos." Jay introduced them casually.

"It's nice to meet you." Alia told him with a smile.

"You too." Carlos offered a shy smile. His face was bright red and covered in sweat from the tryouts. Jay had a light sheen of sweat covering his face, causing a few strands of his long hair to stick to his forehead, but he was nowhere near as winded as his friend.

"Well, I hope you two make it on the team. Better you than Chad." Alia told both the guys.

"That's, like, the third time you've trashed Chad." Jay noted curiously. "Not his biggest fan, I take it?"

Alia and Lonnie exchanged a glance. "Well,…he's just a spoiled, pompous brat. No respect for anyone, especially not girls. He thinks he's better than everyone else because of who his parents are. Well, my parents raised me to believe that a person's worth isn't determined by money or status, it's how they treat others. And Chad treats everyone else like dirt." Alia explained, trying and failing not to rant.

Jay and Carlos exchanged a glance, both of them having mildly-wide eyes.

"Just wait a few days." Lonnie assured them both. "If you spend enough time around him, you'll know what we're talking about."

"Well, if we all make the team, we'll probably be spending a lot of time together." Jay admitted with a smirk.

"Aren't you lucky?" Alia joked.


	5. Chapter 5

Alia lifted her arm in time to sweep Lonnie's punch to the side. She attempted to bring her elbow up into her friend's face, only to be block. With her grip on Alia's elbow, she twisted Alia's arm around behind her back. Alia winced, then ran her feet up the wall in front of her, causing her to flip right over Lonnie's head. She landed in a crouch and swept her leg out into Lonnie's ankles, bringing her down. Lonnie just flipped over and brought herself back to her feet.

Alia stood and brought her fists up, ready for Lonnie's next move. After a moment, the Chinese teenager threw a right hook, which Alia dodged by leaning back. She retaliated by throwing her own punch, but Lonnie grabbed her arm.

Next thing she knew, Lonnie had used her shoulder to flip Alia up and over her, landing hard on her back. Alia laid there for a moment, the breath knocked out of her despite the cushioned mat. Lonnie stood over her, breathing hard and smirking slightly.

"Well?" she asked, planting her hands on her hips. She was dressed in black yoga pants that went past her knees, a loose, pink tank top, and blue tennis shoes. Alia was wearing a similar outfit, except her yoga pants were purple, her tank top was white, and her shoes were white with gold trim.

Alia huffed a laugh, still breathing hard. "Fine. You win that round."

"Obviously." Lonnie joked, offering Alia her hand, which Alia took so her friend could pull her to her feet.

"I'm not sure what I just watched," a familiar voice caused the two girls to look toward the door of the gym, where Jay was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, "but that was pretty impressive."

"Alright, she won this time." Alia relented. "But I won last time!" she pointed out, pointing a finger in Lonnie's face. "And I'll win next time."

Lonnie laughed. "We'll see about that." She glanced at Jay before looking back at Alia. "I call first shower." With that, she stepped to the edge of the mat, hopped down to the floor, and headed toward the girls changing room. Normally, Alia would be fighting for first shower, since her long, thick hair took longer to wash than Lonnie's short bob of black hair, but she liked talking to Jay. Even just being in his presence made her feel more at ease. Alia hopped down from the mat, grabbing her water bottle off the floor and taking a swig.

"So,…what was that, exactly?" Jay asked curiously, approaching her from across the gym. For once, he wasn't dressed in leather. He was wearing a loose tank top that had large armholes, and gym shorts. His long hair was in a ponytail.

Alia shrugged. "Training. Practice. Workout. Whatever you wanna call it, really. Me and Lonnie come here at least a few times a week to either workout or practice hand-to-hand combat, which you just saw. So, what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to check out some of the equipment. Get in a quick workout before class. I'm surprised a princess even bothers with fighting." Jay joked. Before Alia could retort, he continued, "So really, who usually wins when you two fight?" He sounded both curious and playful.

Alia scrunched her nose up at him. "We both win sometimes and lose sometimes, but Lonnie's a bit more experienced than me. She's been in training for stuff like this since she was a young kid. My parents put me in classes for basic self defense, but Lonnie's dad, Li Shang, is an army general. Most of the more advanced stuff I know, Lonnie and her brother taught me in the last couple years."

"Now, why would the Sultan put his daughter in self defense classes?" Jay asked, "Don't you have body guards for stuff like that?"

Alia stuck her tongue out at him. "Only when I'm at home or at special events. I don't have my own body guards, unless you count Raisa. And my parents didn't want me growing up as sheltered as my mom was. She'd never been outside the palace walls until she was almost sixteen. They didn't want me raised like that."

Jay nodded slowly. "Who's Raisa?" he asked curiously.

Alia opened her mouth to answer, but then thought about it. It would be much more fun to show him, at least to her.

She held up her index finger in a 'one moment' kind of signal. Then, she walked past him to her gym bag a few feet away by the mat. She knelt next to it and pulled her cell phone with a purple case from one of the side pockets. She unlocked the screen and stood up while she swiped through her pictures.

She grinned when she found a suitable picture. Turning back to Jay, she held her phone up for him to see.

Jay looked at the screen for a second before his eyes widened. " _That's_ Raisa!?" he exclaimed in shock.

The picture she'd shown him was of her with her arms wrapped around the neck of a beautiful Bengal Tiger. Her coat was a golden-orange color with thick, pitch black stripes. Her chin, the fur of her cheeks, her belly, legs, and paws were all white. Her eyes were amber with a small, black pupil. She was three feet tall at her shoulders, bringing her about to Alia's waist in height usually, and was eight feet long, if you include her nearly-three-foot tail.

Alia nodded. "Yep. That's Raisa, my tiger."

Jay's wide eyes switched to hers. "You have a pet tiger? There's a story behind that, right?"

"Probably." Alia grinned, turning off her phone. "My mom had a tiger when she was younger. Rajah. Bengal Tigers are endangered, so my mom helped by…sort of loaning him to a nearby tiger reservation to breed with some of the females."

"So he was a stud." Jay joked, smirking.

"Shut up!" Alia laughed, shoving his shoulder. "Anyway, for my tenth birthday, which was January 21,...2009, my parents told me I could have pick of the litter when the next litter sired by Rajah was born. Well, that was a couple months later, and I picked one, which is Raisa. Of course, I couldn't take her home for a couple months, because she needed her mother, but yeah. She's six years old, now. She's kind of a combination of my body guard and best friend. Just don't tell Lonnie or Jordan they've been surpassed by a tiger." she added in a pretend whisper.

Jay laughed. "Got it. Wait-" Something Alia said finally registered in his brain. "Did you say January 21?"

"Yeah. That's my birthday." Alia answered, wondering what the big deal was.

"No way. That's my birthday, too." Jay told her, sounding amazed.

"Really?" Alia asked in surprise. "What year were you born?"

"1999. You?"

"Same!" Alia exclaimed. "Whoa, what are the odds? Born on the same day in the same year."

Jay laughed. "Pretty unbelievable, yeah. Kinda disturbing, too, if you think about it too much."

Alia wrinkled her nose, but couldn't help laughing. "True."

"Anyway, do you still let Rajah breed with other tigers?"

Alia's smile faltered slightly. "Um, Rajah passed away a couple years ago."

"Oh…sorry." Jay mumbled.

Alia shook her head. "It's fine. He was old…21 years old, that's older than most tigers live to be. It's just…he was part of the family. Pretty much every memory I have growing up involved him. He was always there." She chuckled slightly. "I sometimes think he saw me as his own cub or something. When I was little and I fell down or something, he'd very carefully pick me up with his teeth by the back of my shirt. And he'd let me climb all over him."

Jay chuckled with her. "Sounds like a pretty awesome childhood."

"Yeah, it was. He actually made all those stupid princess classes and training sessions more tolerable. Still boring, but tolerable."

Jay laughed while Alia picked up her gym bag and swung it over her shoulder.

"So, how do you think you did on your Grammar homework?" Alia asked curiously.

Jay scoffed. "Didn't do it."

Alia tilted her head slightly. "Why?" she asked curiously.

Jay stared at her for a moment, seeming to consider his answer. There was the villain answer: _'Didn't feel like it',_ or the honest one.

"Honestly?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I wouldn't have bothered asking if I expected a lie." Alia told him. Jay's lips tugged slightly into a grin.

"Alright, fine." he sighed. "I didn't…understand it."

Alia's brows furrowed in confusion. "But it was just over punctuation. It wasn't that complicated."

Jay looked at her like she was stupid. "You really think they bothered teaching us about _punctuation_ at Dragon Hall?"

"Dragon Hall?"

"One of the schools on the Isle." Jay explained shortly. "They taught us about being evil, not where to put a comma in a sentence."

"Oh." Alia breathed, feeling terrible for her insensitivity. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad. "Well," she glanced over at the clock on the wall, "we've got some time before first period. Let me just take a quick shower and then I can help you with it."

Jay blinked at her. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?" Alia grinned.

"Okay, sure." Jay agreed with a matching grin. He turned to head for the door, leaning down to pick up his own gym bag. When he leaned over, his shirt shifted just enough to the side for Alia to catch a glimpse of Jay's back. She squinted and tilted her head, trying to get a better look at something she saw under his shirt.

"What's that?" she found herself asking without any thought.

Jay straightened up, his bag slung over his shoulder. "What?" he asked in confusion.

Blushing slightly, Alia jerked her thumb over her own shoulder. "Oh, your…back. I thought I saw something on your back…"

Jay looked down at his feet. "Oh. That. It's just some scars."

"Scars?" Alia whispered.

Jay looked up at her and smiled uncomfortably. "You really think villains treat their kids with love and kindness?" he asked ruefully.

Alia swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "You mean…your dad…"

Jay nodded once, his eyes back on the ground. "Yeah. Normally, my dad's pretty mellow, if a little off his rocker. Especially when it comes to lamps. But…when he's had a bit to drink…he can get a little…angry…and rowdy."

"So,…he hurts you?" Alia asked quietly.

Jay shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. "Yeah,…but that's how it is on the Isle. I'm used to it. Anyway, hurry up and shower so you can help with my homework."

Alia smiled slightly and nodded. "Sure thing."

 **XXX**

 **More bonding and some interesting information. What do you guys think? Feel free to let me know in a review! : )**


	6. Chapter 6

"So, do you do your homework better out here or something?" Jay asked curiously as he approached the front row of bleachers, where Alia was sat doing her math homework. He was dressed in a completely leather outfit, mostly a dark burgundy with splashes of yellow and blue. On one hand he was wearing a black, fingerless glove, and his other wrist had a black leather cuff. She looked up and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Maybe."

"Or," he grinned, sitting next to her and dropping his gym bag on the ground, "you just want to watch me play tourney."

"Don't get a big head, now." Alia joked. "I like watching tourney. And I like watching tourney practices so I know how much better I am than some of the players." she added in a jokingly arrogant tone.

"Oh, so you think you can play tourney, huh?" Jay asked, laughing. "If that's the case, why didn't you tryout?"

Alia sighed, resting her cheek in her palm, her elbow rested on her knee. "Girls aren't allowed on the team. Or any team, honestly. The only 'sport' girls can play around here is cheerleading."

Jay tilted his head and squinted his eyes. "Is cheerleading a sport?"

Alia shrugged, her cheek still in her palm. "Depends who you ask, I guess. Either way, I'm not into cheerleading. I'd rather be on the tourney team, or preferably the Swords and Shields team."

"Okay. Wait, what's-" Jay cut himself off from asking what Swords and Shields was and stared into the woods at the far side of the tourney field. Alia followed his eyes and realized someone was coming out of the woods.

Squinting slightly, the giveaway trait of the person was the head of white hair. As the boy got closer Alia could recognize Carlos, Jay's friend. But a large portion of his red and black shirt was covered by something light brown that he was holding to his chest.

"No way." Jay breathed just as Alia recognized Dude, the small campus mutt that was always hanging around. She glanced over to see a small, bewildered smile covering Jay's face.

"What?" she asked curiously, glancing back at Carlos, who seemed to be heading toward them.

"Carlos is holding a dog." Jay answered as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"And that's surprising because…?"

Jay's smile faltered and he glanced at her. "Well,…his mom raised him to think that dogs are vicious, rabid pack animals who eat little boys who don't behave." Jay explained. "He's been terrified of dogs his whole life."

"Huh." Alia nodded slightly. "That's horrible." She'd been outside doing homework long enough to have seen Ben working with Carlos on his sprints, but she'd been so absorbed in her work she hadn't noticed when they left.

"I think Cruella just wanted to have that extra assurance that she could control Carlos." Jay admitted quietly. "Maybe if he hated and feared dogs, he wouldn't feel bad about turning them into coats, and if he's deathly afraid of something he'd be easier for her to control."

Alia nodded slightly. "That's a good theory."

They stopped talking then, because Carlos had reached them, Dude still held to his chest.

"Hey Carlos." Alia greeted him with a smile. "I see you've met Dude."

Carlos smiled, looking much more at ease then the previous times she'd seen him.

"So, did Ben or anyone mention if we made the team officially?" Jay asked his friend curiously, reaching up to scratch the dog behind the ears. Alia guessed, as a typical guy, he was doing his friend a favor in not mentioning his previous fear of dogs.

"Yeah, Ben convinced the Coach to let me on the team. He said so before we started working on my sprints earlier." Carlos explained, sitting on Jay's other side. "And you obviously made the team. Coach will probably give us jerseys after practice."

"Well, I saw some of your sprints earlier." Alia mentioned to Carlos. "You're really fast. I could see you being either the Left or Right Forward. Or a Defender."

"What about me?" Jay asked, pretending to offended.

"Center Forward. Easily." she assured him bluntly.

Jay shrugged, having no clue what those words really meant. "Okay."

They talked for a little bit before Jay and Carlos needed to get changed for practice. Carlos, somewhat shyly, asked Alia if she could watch Dude until he was done, which she was more than happy to do.

Holding the small dog in her lap, Alia gazed around distractedly, waiting for the tourney team to come out onto the field. Hearing voices, she looked behind her and under the bleachers several feet away. Tilting her head to see between different seats, she saw Chad talking with Evie, the blue-haired girl from the Isle, whom Alia had several classes with. Earlier that day, Evie had been called to the blackboard in their Chemistry class to write an answer on the board, and she'd shocked everyone by giving the correct answer, especially the teacher, Mr. Deley. Which is probably why Chad Charming was talking to her now.

Sure enough, while Alia was watching, Chad passed his backpack to Evie, said something, and then walked off, leaving Evie with his backpack, and probably all his homework. Curling her lip at the prince's disgusting behavior, Alia was about to call out to Evie when Doug climbed down from the bleachers. The son of Dopey the dwarf slithered under one of the bleacher seats to talk to Evie under them. Figuring the friendly trumpet player might be able to convince Evie that Chad was bad news, Alia let them be and turned back to watch the field, scratching Dude around his ears.

She watched the practice when the boys finally came out. She was on the edge of her seat, and Dude was even rigid in her arms, his eyes fixed on the ball as it was passed from one player to the next. She made sure to keep a good grip on him, as the small, brown mutt was known for interrupting practice by stealing the ball.

When practice ended, Coach Jenkins asked Jay to talk to him after changing, so Jay met him higher up on the bleachers. Alia guessed they were discussing teamwork and rules, plus she saw a new jersey sitting on the bench next to the coach. Carlos joined Alia to grab Dude, who was more than happy to go with his newest friend.

"Thanks for watching him." Carlos told her with a smile.

"No problem." Alia grinned in return. "So, what's your new jersey look like?"

Carlos unzipped his gym bag with his free hand, still holding Dude in one arm, and pulled out a familiar Fighting Knights jersey. On the back, Carlos' name was written across the top with the big number 101 taking up the rest of the back.

Alia smiled in amusement at the number choice. "Number one-hundred-and-one. That's not subtle at all." she joked, referring to his mother's story of the 101 Dalmatians.

Carlos laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Alia stood up and pulled her backpack over her shoulders. "Mind if I walk back to the dorms with you? I think Jay's going to be a while." she joked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at where Jay was still sitting with Coach Jenkins. "Coach likes to make long-winded speeches with at least one cheesy analogy, usually referring to teamwork."

Carlos laughed. "Sure."

They turned and headed for the school across the grounds, already seeing most of the other tourney players several yards ahead.

"So, how are you liking Auradon so far?" Alia asked curiously, wanting to make conversation.

Carlos shrugged, his gym bag on one shoulder and Dude in his arms. "It's been okay." he admitted. Then he looked down at Dude, smiling when the little dog stretched up to lick his nose. "Definitely not what I was expecting."

Alia smiled softly. "That a good thing, or bad?" she asked, partially joking.

Carlos chuckled. "Definitely good." he assured her. Then he looked over at her, meeting her eyes. She could easily read curiosity in his brown eyes. "Why are you so nice? To any of us, especially Jay? I mean, your parents…"

Alia smiled, not all that surprised by the question. "Well,…it's kinda hard to explain." she admitted. "I mean, when I first heard about Ben's proclamation to bring four villain kids here, I completely supported the idea. I faltered a little bit when I heard Jafar's kid had been chosen," she admitted, "but I also wanted to give it a chance. I agree with Ben. You guys aren't your parents. I don't think it was fair that you were all born into exile like that. And we can't really blame any of you for how you act, because you were raised over there. There wasn't much hope that very many of the kids over there wouldn't be at least mean. But that doesn't mean you'll all end up like your parents, either."

Carlos stared at her with wide eyes for several moments as they neared the school.

"Wow…" he whispered, finally facing forward, "Thanks. That's really…nice of you to say those things."

Alia smiled at him. "And I meant every word." she told him honestly.

They went their separate ways since Alia needed to go back to her dorm to finish her homework. When she entered the room, she sensed rather than saw Lonnie sitting on her bed.

"Hey, why weren't you at-" Alia cut off, freezing and staring at Lonnie in shock. She was sitting with her legs curled to one side, dressed in a pink, floral shirt and pale blue skirt, but what caught Alia's attention was her hair.

While her hair used to be a short, black bob with straight across bangs, Lonnie's hair was so different now Alia almost didn't recognize her. Her hair was now long and brown in loose curls.

"What happened?" Alia asked in shock, still staring at the hair. It looked good, just very different.

"Do you like it?" Lonnie asked excitedly, running a hand through the locks. "Mal did it. She did it to Jane's hair, too."

"But how?" Alia asked in confusion.

"She has this book. It's magic! She said some spell, flicked her finger around, and then _this_ happened!" she exclaimed, gesturing to her hair while beaming widely. "Isn't it great?"

"Um, yeah it is." Alia admitted honestly. "I can see that being popular when word gets out."

"Will you ask her to do something with your hair?" Lonnie asked curiously.

Alia frowned as she sat on her own bed, pulling her thick, sleek hair over one shoulder. "What's wrong with my hair?" she asked, mildly offended.

"Nothing. It's beautiful. I didn't think you would, I was just curious." Lonnie assured her.

Alia hummed and nodded. She did love her hair. Despite being thick, it was usually very cooperative. Apart from occasionally getting a bit frizzy when she was home in Agrabah, where it could get hot and humid, her hair was very easy to take care of. She just had to remember to brush it at least once or twice a day to keep it from getting knotted. And with it being thick, trying to style it took hours, but she normally preferred to leave it natural anyway.

Alia finished her homework before heading down to dinner with Lonnie. Every girl they met, it seemed, wanted to know about Lonnie's hair, and the happy teenage girl was more than happy to tell them about Mal.

Later that night, Lonnie changed into her favorite pink sweatshirt, announcing she was going to look for Mal to tell her about all the other girls. Alia just nodded to show she'd heard, lounging in bed to do some reading for her history class. By the time Lonnie returned, Alia was snuggled down in her warm bed, half-asleep.

The quiet click of the door jerked Alia awake and she lifted her head to see Lonnie returning to her bed. But something about her seemed off. Her head was down and her arms were wrapped around herself, as if she was folding in on herself.

"Lonnie?" Alia whispered. "What's wrong?"

Her response was a quiet sniff. Alia propped herself up onto an elbow, staring through the dark room at her friend several feet away. Lonnie laid down under her blanket, not even bothering to change into her pajamas, and turned to face Alia. She could barely see her eyes glistening in the moonlight, and a couple wet lines down her face also glinted when she shifted on her pillow.

"What happened?" Alia demanded, almost forgetting to whisper. Lonnie was normally so bubbly and talkative. It took a lot to make her cry. In fact, Alia had only seen her cry when her grandfather, Fa Zhou, Mulan's father, passed away.

Lonnie sniffed again before answering quietly. "I found Mal and her friends down in the kitchens."

"Okay." Alia responded, confused. Had they said something mean?

After a few moments of silence, Lonnie continued, "Their parents don't love them."

Alia's face fell, finally understanding. Sure, Alia had suspected Jafar didn't love his son after seeing the scars on his back, but it was still so horrible, especially to kids from Auradon. Alia's parents had always been loving and supportive of her, raising her to be strong and confident. Lonnie's parents were the same.

No other words needed to be shared between the two girls. Instead, they fell silent and tried to fall asleep, their worried thoughts surrounding their newest friends.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter includes the tourney game, which means it also includes the song 'Did I Mention?'. I'm not sure if I like how I set it up, so just let me know if I did okay, or if you have any better ideas on how I could write out the songs for future reference.**

 **XXX**

"Jordan!" Alia called, her arms wrapped around her books while weaving through the crowd. Jordan paused and waited for Alia to catch up. "Don't forget. After the game today we need to meet at the front of the school-"

"So a limo can take us to the airport. Yeah, I know." Jordan finished, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I was going to forget about getting to go home today."

Alia and Jordan would be returning to Agrabah after the game and staying for the weekend to have the finishing touches made to their dresses for the coronation.

"Excited to go home?" Alia asked curiously as they stopped at her locker to put her books away. Jordan probably already left her things in her lamp.

"A bit. Are _you_ excited for all the questions your parents are going to have about Jafar's son?" Jordan returned easily.

Alia grimaced, slamming her door shut so they could head toward the tourney field to get good seats. "Not really."

Jordan laughed. "Why? Because you _liiike_ him?" she teased.

"I don't like him." Alia told her firmly.

"Sure you don't." Jordan smirked.

"I don't! Seriously, Jor. At least not like that." Alia insisted, annoyed her friend wasn't taking her seriously. "It's complicated."

Jordan eyed her doubtfully. "Mhm. Okay. Well, we'll have a couple hours in the plane to talk about it."

"Ugh!" Alia stopped and turned to the nearest wall to smack her forehead against a locker with a loud _bang_.

"Um, are you okay?" a familiar, amused voice asked from nearby. Alia jolted upright, turning to look up at the very object of their conversation. Jay was dressed in a red and black letter jacket, his backpack slug over one shoulder. Alia took a deep breath, feeling relaxed as she took in his friendly expression, despite her embarrassment.

"Perfectly fine." she answered. "Why do you ask?"

Jay smirked. "You just smacked your head into a locker, and now you have a red spot on your forehead." he told her with a laugh, lightly poking her forehead with his finger. Alia's hand flew up to cover her forehead in embarrassment.

"Oh, that." She glanced over at Jordan, who was smirking at her with her arms crossed and her hip popped out. "Just a stupid conversation with Jordan. She has a way of driving me closer and closer to insanity."

"Oh, ha." Jordan scoffed, rolling her eyes. She looked back at Jay, looking him over critically. "So, you're the infamous Jay, son of Jafar, huh?"

"Yeah, that's me." Jay answered confidently, leaning his shoulder on a locker and grinning at her. "I don't think we've been properly introduced."

Jordan smirked and offered her hand to him. "Jordan. Daughter of Genie."

Surprisingly, Jay didn't falter or change his attitude when hearing who her father was. He shook her hand and grinned at her. Then, he asked her, "So, just what were you talking about that was driving Alia into insanity?"

Jordan smirked at Alia. "Well,-"

"Hey, you excited for the game today?" Alia interrupted quickly, not trusting her friend to keep her mouth shut.

Jay smirked, probably guessing what she was doing, but he humored her anyway. "You mean, am I excited to score the winning goal? Obviously."

Alia snorted, rolling her eyes at him. "One day, your head is going to be so big, you won't be able to dodge the Dragon Fire."

Jay laughed easily. "Whatever you say."

"Yo, Jay!" Carlos called, hurrying up to them. "Hurry up, we've gotta get changed for the game!"

"Alright." Jay grinned at Alia and Jordan. "Ladies, I hope I'll be seeing you at the game." And with a slight bow, he walked past them and followed Carlos down the hall toward the tourney field.

"Well, I'll give you one thing." Jordan spoke up after a few moments, both girls watching Jay and Carlos' retreating backs. "That boy's got charm to spare."

"Yep. But I still don't like him like that." she told Jordan firmly, walking away before the half-genie could comment.

They reached the bleachers, where dozens of people were already sitting. Alia would've preferred to sit in the front row, but that was taken already. She waved at Jay and Carlos, who were already sitting on the bench on the edge of the field. They waved back, Jay grinning while Carlos looked nervous.

Searching the crowded bleachers, Alia's eyes caught someone waving their hand. She grinned when she saw Lonnie sitting with Mal and Evie. In a crowd filled with blue and yellow, Mal's green jacket stood out much more than Lonnie's frantically waving hand.

Climbing up the steps, she moved down the bench until she reached Lonnie. She smiled and waved at Mal and Evie, also, who returned her greeting. Lonnie was dressed in a blue dress with a yellow, short sleeved sweater, Evie was wearing a blue dress with a black leather jacket, and Mal was in a purple and green jacket. Alia was wearing simple white skinny jeans and a blue shirt.

The game started about twenty minutes later, the Auradon Fighting Knights facing the Sherwood Falcons, the opposing team dressed in green and white. Coach Jenkins seemed to be waiting to put Jay in, probably as a secret weapon. It was a close match. The Sherwood Falcons were a great team, but the Fighting Knights were holding their own against them.

The score ended up tied at 2 to 2 with a few minutes left, and the game seemed to be at a stalemate. Neither team seemed able to score at this point.

When there was only 47 seconds left on the clock, Coach Jenkins sent Chad back in for what seemed like the fifteenth time in the last hour. Then, he called Akiho, number 42, off the field. He then turned to Jay and Carlos sitting on the bench. Alia cheered extra loud, figuring he was finally putting Jay into the game.

Surprisingly, Jay stood up and pulled Carlos up with him. The white-haired boy quickly shoved Jay's arm off him and sat back down on the bench. Jay once again pulled him back up, his arm around his friend's shoulders. Alia clasped her hands together excitedly, hoping both boys would be sent onto the field.

A moment later, Jenkins called Emir, number 26, off the field. He then tossed a tourney stick to Carlos, who caught it. Jay gave Carlos a shove onto the field and the two ran toward the rest of the team, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.

They ran to the team, breaking the huddle a second later, and preparing to play. Both teams lined up on either side of the Kill Zone. The ball was thrown into play, causing one player from each team to run into the Kill Zone. Jay managed to get the ball, passing it to Ben.

Carlos managed to trip an opposing player, knocking him to the ground. He then did a little jig, taunting the other guy, which made Alia laugh.

Jay got the ball back and had to run through the Kill Zone. He flipped over a projectile of Dragon Fire. He passed the ball to Ben, succeeding in getting out of the Kill Zone. Jay blocked someone, and then Ben passed the ball back to Jay, who shot for the goal, only for the goalie to block it.

Alia stomped her foot in disappointment, and she saw Jay slam his fists down in anger. Everyone moved back to the other end of the field quickly, since there was only 23 seconds left in the game.

The goalie threw the ball all the way across the field toward the other goal. Jay leapt and caught just over the head of a Falcon player trying to block him. Someone ran to block Jay, only for Chad to run in and block them. Jay made a high pass to Ben, the ball flying over the heads of the other players.

One of the Falcons knocked Carlos to the ground, probably retaliating from Carlos' earlier victory dance. Jay swooped in and pulled Carlos up by the back of his jersey. They ran through the Kill Zone with Jay still gripping Carlos' shirt. Carlos put up his shield to block Dragon Fire, and Jay was pulling him around and forcing him to duck a few times to keep from getting hit by more Dragon Fire. Finally, Jay threw Carlos from the Kill Zone and both boys ran with the rest of the players down the field.

Jay scooped the ball back up with his tourney stick. He then hit the ball toward Carlos. But instead of catching the ball or hitting it, Carlos used his shield to hit the ball straight up into the air. He then crouch down, causing Jay to leap over him and catch the ball. Finally, Jay set up Ben for the shot, which the prince took, shooting the ball past the goalie and into the net right as the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game.

Alia's voice was lost as the entire Auradon side of the crowd cheered and screamed. She was jumping in place, her hands in the air. She could barely see Jay throwing an arm around both Carlos and Ben.

Everyone was celebrating and not even really hearing what the announcer was saying. However, that changed when Ben grabbed the microphone.

"Excuse me! Excuse me, can I have your attention please?" Ben called into the microphone.

The cheers fell into silence, and Alia's huge smile shrank a bit in confusion. Since when did players make speeches?

Ben climbed onto the Dragon Cannon, causing the Auradon Dragoneer, the player in charge of the Cannon, to stumble off it and onto the ground.

"There's something I'd like to say." Ben continued. Everyone watched him, waiting on pins and needles to hear what he would say.

He looked around for a moment, looking lost, giving Alia the feeling he hadn't planned this out ahead of time.

"Give me an 'M'!" he shouted suddenly, forming an 'M' with his arms.

"M!" the crowd echoed.

"Give me an 'A'!"

"A!"

"Give me and 'L'!"

"L!"

"What's that spell?"

"Mal!" the crowd shouted. Alia laughed slightly, looking around Lonnie to look at Mal. Her face was tense and her eyes rolled skyward awkwardly. Especially since Lonnie and Evie had screamed it in her face.

"Come on, I can't hear you!" Ben shouted.

"MAL!"

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" Ben announced, his eyes looking toward where Alia was standing since Mal was only a couple seats over. Every head in the crowd turned to stare at purple-haired girl, who was looking extremely uncomfortable as the crowd 'aw'ed.

"Give me a beat!" Ben shouted, pointing at the band.

Alia heard Doug count them off, "Uno, dos, tres, quatro!" before the band started playing an upbeat song as if they'd practiced a thousand times. The crowd and players on the field began clapping with the beat as Ben started to sing.

 **Ben:**

" **Did I mention that I'm in love with you?**

 **And did I mention there's nothing I can do?"**

Ben jumped down onto the grass as he continued.

 **Ben:**

" **And did I happen to say I dream of you everyday?**

 **Well, let me shout it out loud, if that's okay, hey, hey."**

 **All:**

" **Hey!"**

 **Ben:**

" **If that's okay."**

 **All:**

" **Hey!"**

Ben started swinging his hips, Carlos doing the same next to him.

 **Ben:**

" **I met this girl who rocked my world like it's never been rocked.**

 **And now I'm living just for her and I won't ever stop."**

Jay came up on Ben's other side, placing the microphone on the grass near him before following his and Carlos's lead in the dance.

 **Ben:**

" **I never thought that it could happen to a guy like me.**

 **But now look at what you've done, you've got me down on my knees."**

The whole team dropped to the ground on their knees at this line. Then, while the others stood up again, Ben rolled onto his back, kicking his legs in the air.

 **Ben:**

" **Because my love for you is ridiculous.**

 **I never knew-"**

 **All:**

" **Who knew?"**

 **Ben:**

" **That it could be like this.**

 **My love for you is ridiculous.**

 **My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S."**

Ben used his body to spell out each letter. And when the crowd and team echoed him, they did the same.

 **Ben:**

" **It's-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

 **Ben:**

" **Just-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

 **Ben:**

" **And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss.**

 **Well, did I mention that I'm in love with you?**

 **And did I mention there's nothing I can do?**

 **And did I happen to say**

 **I dream of you everyday?**

 **Well, let me shout it out loud if that's okay, hey, hey.**

 **Yeah, if that's okay."**

 **All:**

" **Hey!"**

 **Ben:**

" **I gotta know which way to go, come on, give me a sign.**

 **You gotta show me that's only gonna ever be mine.**

 **Don't wanna go another minute livin' without you.**

' **Cause if your heart just isn't in it, I don't know what I'd do."**

Ben fell back into the arms of his team, who then threw him into the air so he could land on his feet and continue singing. Alia laughed in amazement.

 **Ben:**

" **Because my love for you is ridiculous.**

 **I never knew-"**

 **All:**

" **Who knew?"**

 **Ben:**

" **That it could be like this.**

 **My love for you is ridiculous.**

 **My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S."**

Just like last time, Ben spelled the word out, and the other players did the same when they repeated him.

 **Ben:**

" **It's-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

 **Ben:**

" **Just-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

 **Ben:**

" **And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss.**

 **Come on, now!"**

They had a short instrumental break where the team seemed to do their own improv dances. Ben danced with the microphone stand before running among the team and giving all of them high-fives. Carlos even dropped down into splits before popping right back up, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Then, Ben pulled his jersey over his head. The team gathered around him, pointing up at Mal before Ben chucked his jersey into the crowd. Several people in the crowd lunged for it, but Mal caught it easily. The cheerleaders started throwing a couple of their own into the air.

 **Ben:**

" **Because my love for you is ridiculous."**

Ben continued singing while jumping onto the back of the two people in a horse costume.

 **Ben:**

" **I never knew-"**

 **All:**

" **Who knew?"**

 **Ben:**

" **That it could be like this."**

Jane in the Knight costume lead the horse in front of the stands, the whole team dancing along behind them.

 **Ben:**

" **My love for you is ridiculous.**

 **My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S."**

The "horse" reared back and Ben fell back, being caught by three of the male cheerleaders. They then stood him up and threw him into the crowd, which caught him.

 **All:**

" **R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S."**

The crowd bodysurfed Ben toward Mal, all the while everyone continued singing.

 **Ben:**

" **It's-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

 **Ben:**

" **Just-"**

 **All:**

" **Ridiculous."**

Alia glanced between Ben, who was being bodysurfed towards her on one side, and Mal, who looked like she was trying to escape while Evie forcefully turned her and held her in place.

 **Ben:**

" **And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss.**

 **Come on, now!"**

Ben was placed on his feet just on Alia's right side, stepping past her and Lonnie to look down at Mal. The crowd broke into applause. Alia was clapping and smiling widely, watching the pair. Ben was looking down at Mal, breathing heavily from his performance, with such reverence that it was hard to believe they'd only met less than a week ago. She'd never seen Ben look at Audrey like that. Mal was staring up at him, looking embarrassed, but she was also clutching his jersey to her chest as if it would protect her.

Ben suddenly leaned down, looking like he was going to kiss her in front of everyone, but Mal jerked back and covered her face with the jersey, laughing uncomfortably. Ben settled for wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding her close to his side.

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" Ben said into the microphone, but Alia was distracted by Audrey, dressed in her cheerleader outfit, climbing up the bleachers with Chad on her tail. She snatched the gold-colored microphone from Ben and announced in a loud, peppy voice, "Chad's my boyfriend now."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders while he held up his fist triumphantly, looking around with a smug grin.

Alia grimaced, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Lonnie to see she had a similar look of disdain on her face.

"And I'm going to the coronation with him." Audrey continued to Ben, still talking into the microphone for everyone to hear. "So I don't need your pity date." She then grabbed Chad's chin and kissed him in front of everyone, causing the crowd to 'oooh'. Alia, on the other hand, fake gagged. Those two were perfect for each other, and not in a good way.

Ben took the microphone back and turned to the purple-haired girl he still had his arm around. "Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?" he yelled for everyone to hear.

Mal pulled the microphone closer to her and yelled, "Yes!"

"She said yes!" Ben yelled while the crowd erupted into cheers. Audrey huffed and stormed off, dragging Chad with her, but Alia cheered. Ben was much better off with someone who _wasn't_ Audrey. She didn't know Mal that well, but she couldn't be much worse than Sleeping Beauty's spoiled daughter.

Alia exchanged a beaming smile with Lonnie, who was also giddy over the whole situation. However, Alia's eyes briefly drifted past her and Mal to Evie. She had a very disappointed expression on her face, and she was looking down at her feet, which was very different to how giggly she was a few moments ago.

"Come on, Ben!" a familiar voice pulled Alia out of her worried thoughts. Jay had climbed into the bleachers, stopping almost right in front of Alia. He wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulders. "The whole team's waiting for ya!"

Jay glanced over his shoulder at Alia as he headed back toward the field. She grinned at him, which he returned as he and Ben returned to the team. She felt a warmth in her chest she found herself feeling pretty frequently whenever Jay was around. But it didn't feel romantic, at the same time.

"What a victory!" the announcer called when he finally got his microphone back from Ben. "What a day for the Auradon Knights, finally winning back the trophy after so many years."

Jay tried to hand the trophy to Ben, but the prince pushed it back into Jay's hand. Then, the whole team lifted Jay onto their shoulders, causing everyone to cheer as he held it high with one hand.

"There it is." the announcer called over the cheering and screaming. "Jay: the Most Valuable Player. How do you like that?"

Alia cupped her hands around her mouth, cheering Jay's name as loud as she possibly could.

With the trophy in one hand, Jay threw up his other fist, cheering with everyone else. His expression was one of pure exhilaration and joy. Even though he frequently smiled, it was amazing to see how purely happy he was.

 **XXX**

 **There you go, chapter 7! Let me know what you all thought and if I handled the song part okay. The story will start picking up a little bit more in chapter 8, moving away from the movie's storyline a bit.**


	8. Chapter 8

Alia zipped up her overnight bag, which was packed with more than enough clothes to get her through the weekend. She scanned her room one more time before slipping her bag strap over her shoulder and hurrying toward the door.

"Bye, Lonnie! See you Sunday!" Alia called as she headed out. She heard her roommate call out her own goodbye before she was racing down the hallway in an attempt to get to the front of the school on time.

"Whoa!" someone called as she swept past a group of guys. "Alia!" a familiar voice called. She glanced back only to realize Jay was speed walking toward her, easily reaching her side in a few strides with his long legs. "Where're you off to in such a hurry? I'd have thought you'd be celebrating with the rest of us."

The tourney game had only ended an hour ago, but Alia didn't have time to celebrate with everyone else. She'd put off packing for her visit home and had to rush to her room to do so.

"I'm going home for the weekend." she explained to Jay, still hurrying down the hall. "I needed to pack, and I need to hurry to get to the front of the school on time."

"Oh. I didn't know you were leaving." Jay commented.

"Yeah, me and Jordan are going home to Agrabah to get some finishing touches done to our coronation dresses." Alia explained.

"You're going all the way to Agrabah to get some dresses fitted." Jay commented in disbelief. "And how are you getting there, dare I ask? Magic carpet?" he teased.

Alia stuck her tongue out at him. "Very funny. For your information, magic carpets make for bumpy travel, especially going that far. Plus, Jordan failed her carpet driver's test for the eleventh time. A limo is taking us to the nearest airport, where a jet will take us home."

"Ah, of course. Wait-there actually still are magic carpets?" Jay asked in surprise.

Alia laughed. "Yeah. We have our own Magic Carpet in the palace, my dad's carpet, who we typically just call Carpet. But Magic Carpets are still widely used in Agrabah. Especially when it comes to going over the Great Wall to visit Northern Wei. It's the quickest, easiest way to get back and forth."

"But,…I thought magic wasn't allowed anymore." Jay noted slowly, sounding a bit confused.

"Well,…they've made a few exceptions. Magic Carpets are very small bits of magic in comparison to some of the others out there." Alia shrugged just as they walked out of the school. "Anyway, congratulations on your win. And MVP. Were you surprised?"

Jay chuckled. "Yeah, a bit. Not about the win, of course we were going to win," he added teasingly, "but the MVP part caught me off guard."

"Well, you definitely earned it."

Jordan was already waiting by the road, her arms crossed casually as she waited for both Alia and their ride. She looked up as they approached and grinned when she saw them.

"I was starting to think you'd forgotten." Jordan teased Alia.

"I had to pack. I'm not like you, who has everything packed into her lamp." Alia pointed out.

"Excuses, excuses." Jordan teased just as a long, black limo pulled up in front of the school.

"Well, this is us." Alia told Jay as Jordan climbed into the back, not even waiting for the driver to open the door for them.

Jay nodded, looking distractedly at the limo for a moment. Alia was about to ask him what was wrong when his eyes moved to her face once more. "Are you going to tell them about me?"

Alia took a deep breath. She didn't have to ask him what he meant.

"They'll probably ask me at least a few questions. By now, the whole of Auradon has probably heard of Ben's proclamation. If they ask, I'll tell them the truth. That I've gotten to know you and you're a great, fun guy."

"What if they don't want you hanging out with Jafar's son?" Jay asked, somewhat bitterly.

"You ever heard of a teenage rebellion?" Alia asked sarcastically. Jay grinned slightly. "My parents trust my judgment. I doubt they'd ban me from hanging out with you, but if they do, there's really nothing they can do to stop me."

Jay smirked slightly. But before he could comment, the limo's driver approached Alia's side. He was dressed in a simple black suit with a hat.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but we must leave if we are to catch your flight."

"Of course. Thank you." she told him. She turned briefly to Jay and smiled at him. "Well, I'll probably see you in class on Monday or something."

"Sure. Have a fun trip." Jay grinned, waving as he stepped back from the car.

Alia climbed into the back of the limo, the door being shut behind her by the driver. Jordan had already scooted more toward the middle of the seat, sitting with her back against the side of the car and facing the display of candies and treats. When Alia glanced over at her, she was smirking back.

"Don't even." Alia ordered firmly before her friend even opened her mouth. Jordan chuckled, leaning forward to grab a candy out of the bowl.

"Fine, I won't talk about it in the car." Jordan relented. "But when we're in the jet, we are _so_ talking about this. You can't squirm your way out of it when we're thirty-thousand feet in the air."

Alia grimaced. "Great." she grumbled.

Sure enough, Jordan pushed for the conversation almost as soon as their jet took flight.

"Alright, come on." Jordan urged. She was lounging in a comfortable seat in one of the royal jets. She'd turned the seat so she could face Alia across the narrow isle where Alia was sitting, and her lamp was perched on the table by her. "Spill. There's something between you and Jay, and I want some answers."

Alia sighed, turning her own seat before pulling her feet up under her to get comfortable. "Alright, fine. But this conversation doesn't leave this plane. You don't tell anyone; your dad, my parents, your precious video audience-"

"Okay, give me a little credit." Jordan cut her off. "I would never post something like that about you on AuraTube. You know that."

Alia sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just saying, don't tell anyone. Please."

"Okay, I promise. I won't say a word to anyone. Now, talk."

"What am I even supposed to say?" Alia demanded.

"Do you have a crush on Jay?" Jordan demanded in return.

"No!" Alia yelled in frustration. "No, I do not."

Jordan narrowed her eyes doubtfully. "I'm not sure if I believe you."

Alia sighed, letting her head fall back against the headrest and closing her eyes. "I don't know what it is with Jay, but I do know I don't have any romantic feelings for him. There's…something there. But that's not it."

Jordan hummed thoughtfully. "Can you explain what you feel with him?"

Alia swallowed, opening her eyes and looking up at the ceiling of the jet. "It's like…remember when I first ran into him?" Alia asked, forcing her head upright so she could meet Jordan's eyes. "I said his eyes looked familiar. But that wasn't everything that…happened, or whatever. It wasn't the only thing I felt."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…when I first met him…I felt like…This is going to sound romantic, but it's really not. I felt like something that had been missing before, wasn't. I felt…complete." she admitted quietly.

Jordan stared at her for a few moments. "You felt complete." she repeated slowly. "And you're still claiming it's not romantic?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's not!" Alia insisted. "I'll admit, he's attractive. Anyone could see that, but that's not it. I feel comfortable around him. The only time I'm not comfortable with him is when he flirts with me. Then, it just feels awkward. But we have so much in common, we have the same sense of humor, the same hobbies, and…I think he's just as comfortable with me as I am with him." she admitted, remembering the morning he'd told her about his father abusing him.

Jordan hummed thoughtfully. "Whatever you say. Just be careful with him. I've seen how he is with girls, always flirting around and smooth talking. Don't trust him too much too fast."

Alia nodded. "Whatever you say, Jor."

The plane ride was a little boring. They ended up just looking up music videos and things on Jordan's laptop until they neared Agrabah. Then, they took turns in the jet's small bathroom changing their clothes. Jeans would not be pleasant in the over-100 degree heat.

Alia exited the bathroom dressed in a purple tube top with off the shoulder straps and purple lace covering her toned belly, matching harem pants, and black flats. She pulled her thick, black hair into a low ponytail and placed a gold headband in her hair.

"You look nice." Jordan commented from her seat as Alia returned to hers.

"You too." The only things Jordan had changed about her outfit was wearing nicer blue harem pants as she usually wore, and she was wearing a gold-colored top similar to Alia's, and she was much more bejeweled with jewelry.

They fastened their seatbelts and the plane landed soon after. Grabbing their bags, Jordan lead the way to the door of the jet, which had swung down into a set of stairs. Stepping out into the bright sunlight and scorching heat, which hit her like a wave, Alia squinted and instinctively lifted a hand to block the sun from her eyes. She had to blink a few times to adjust to the light, at first only seeing a large, bumpy silhouette on the wide space of cement. When she adjusted to the light, a huge grin spread over her face as she hurried down the steps after Jordan.

A series of chuffing sounds made her laugh, seeing her tiger, Raisa, straining against her leash, which Alia's father was trying to hold. Finally, he seemed to give up and let go of the tiger's leash.

Jordan stepped to the side to avoid being bowled over as Raisa pounded toward Alia, who dropped her bag and braced herself. Luckily, the 300 pound tigress was well trained. She slowed about a foot away from Alia, and instead of bowling her over, she merely stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her enormous front paws around Alia's neck and shoulders.

"Raisa!" Alia giggled, wrapping her arms around the tiger's back and shoulders while Raisa rubbed her head against Alia's. Alia had to step back to make sure she didn't fall, but thankfully Raisa wasn't putting very much weight on her. There was no way Alia could hold up all 300 pounds.

"I think she missed you more than we did." Alia's mother laughed as the group approached them.

"Ha ha." Alia laughed sarcastically, shoving Raisa off her. The tiger got down easily, but circled around Alia, rubbing her head on Alia's waist and sticking close to her side.

The Arabian princess stepped up and hugged her mom tightly. Sultana Jasmine was dressed in an elegant, sea green dress with lace sleeves with her favorite headband with a sapphire in the middle.

"How was the flight?" Sultan Aladdin asked over his wife's shoulder. Alia pulled away and her mother stepped aside to let her hug her father, who squeezed her tightly. He was wearing his official Sultan robes, similar to what Alia's grandfather wore, including his turban with the purple feather. Abu, her father's monkey, scurried excitedly off Aladdin's shoulder and onto Alia's, hugging her neck tightly.

"It was long and a little boring." Alia answered bluntly, causing her father to chuckle before kissing the top of her head.

"You mean you didn't enjoy our fun conversations?" Jordan teased, smirking mischievously.

Alia narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Shut up."

"Is Jordan causing drama again?" Genie joked, smirking down at his daughter. Genie was still bright blue and hadn't really aged a day. His small beard was still black and curled. He was wearing blue harem pants and gold, curled shoes.

"Who, me?" Jordan asked in a mockingly innocent tone, putting a hand to her chest.

"Oh, Jordan would never cause drama, Genie. You know that." Aladdin put in sarcastically, pulling away from his daughter.

"Now, now, I want to hug my granddaughter!" another familiar voice cut into the joking and a small, plump man with a white beard wearing Sultan robes pushed past everyone to hug Alia. She was pulled down to suit his shorter height, which barely reached 5 foot, but she smiled and hugged her grandfather warmly.

"Hi, Papa." Alia gave her grandfather a squeeze before straightening up. As a young baby, she'd easily taken to calling her father 'Dada' or later 'Daddy', but she picked the name 'Papa' for her grandfather, and the name stuck well into her teens. Of course, when addressing any of them at more formal events, she had to call them by their more formal names; Mother, Father, and Grandfather.

"Now, let's all get into the nice, air-conditioned car and head back to the palace. I'm sure both girls are starving." Jasmine interrupted, wrapping an arm around Jordan and giving her a squeeze. When Jordan's mother had passed away not long after she was born, Jasmine, while not necessarily raising Genie's daughter, had stepped in as a role model in many aspects of Jordan's life. This further strengthened Alia and Jordan's bond growing up, making them almost sisters rather than friends.

"Excellent idea!" Alia agreed eagerly, already feeling a light sheen of sweat coating her skin. While she didn't necessarily enjoy the heat of Agrabah, it was still home, and she was more than happy to be home, even if it was just for a few days.

 **XXX**

 **Just a quick note in answer to a review I got in the last chapter: there is a character, Aziz, who is Aladdin and Jasmine's son in the books who was cut from the movie. He does not exist in this story, for plot sake. Also, I believe Agrabah is a fictional town based loosely on Saudi Arabia.**


	9. Chapter 9

After an early-morning sword-fighting practice with her dad, to which Aladdin commented she was "improving wonderfully", Alia joined her whole family, as well as Genie and Jordan, for a large, delicious breakfast before her mother dragged her into a dress fitting.

Alia and Jordan had already picked their dresses, but some final alterations needed to be made and finalized by the seamstress Jasmine hired before the gowns were deemed fit for the future King's coronation.

Alia stood in her bedroom atop a stool in front of a few mirrors while the seamstress stuck a few pins here and there.

The dress had capped sleeves with a sweetheart neckline. The top and bodice of the gown was a medium lavender color that faded to cream just past her waist. The bodice was lightly decorated with gold sequins. The skirt of the dress was thick and ruffled enough to give it some volume and long enough to cover her feet, which Alia would have gold, strapped heels on come the day of the coronation.

"So, how's school been?" Jasmine asked her daughter casually. She was dressed in her more casual, at-home outfit of her favorite sea green tube top and harem pants and was lounging on Alia's bed.

They were in Alia's bedroom, which was a rather large space that was decorated with both traditional Agrabah-style as well as more modern day additions, as well. It was similar to how Alia's mother's room had been decorated when she was younger.

There were doors on the far side of the room that lead out to a round balcony that was almost as big as the bedroom itself, which Alia loved to sit out on when the nights were cool enough to watch the stars. In the center of the bedroom was a circle of green curtains surrounding several comfy pillows, a long, turquoise couch, and a table with a mirror and space for her laptop, should she need to use it there. There were also a few comfy rugs covering the ground in this area to add a cozy feeling that the ornate marble floor lacked. Alia's actual bed was against the wall near her bedroom door. It had a large, round mattress nestled between two marble pillars with green curtains draped over it. This is where her mother was currently seated, Raisa resting her chin on Jasmine's lap while the Sultana stroked her head.

Alia stood several feet away while the seamstress worked.

"School's been good." Alia answered her mother's question. "I got an A on my last History of Auradon test."

"That's wonderful, sweetie." Jasmine beamed at her. "But that wasn't really what I was asking about."

Alia turned her head slightly to look at her mother in confusion. "Oh? Then what?"

Jasmine eyed her like she should've known the answer. "I think everyone's heard about Prince Ben's proclamation. I also heard that one of the four kids Ben chose is the son of Jafar."

Alia turned away and looked at the reflection of her dress in the mirror to avoid her mother's eyes. "Oh. That."

"Yes. That." Jasmine agreed in an amused voice. "Have you met him?"

Alia chewed her bottom lip nervously. "Well,…"

"Alia, just tell me." Jasmine urged gently.

Sighing in defeat, Alia turned her head to look at her mother, since she couldn't move the rest of her body for fear of being stabbed by a needle. "Okay,…yes, I've met him. His name is Jay, and he's fun and nice and great at tourney but I don't have a crush on him, he's just a really good friend." she explained quickly, deciding not to even think of mentioning the more complicated feelings she had when Jay was around.

Jasmine lifted a single thick, black eyebrow. "You seem a bit defensive for someone who sees him as only a friend."

"Because I'm tired of people suggesting otherwise." Alia countered defensively, resisting the urge to cross her arms over her chest.

"Okay, okay. So, you and… _Jay_ are friends, then?"

"Yes." Alia admitted in a softer voice. "He's really nice, Mom. He's nothing like Jafar was in all your stories."

"Okay, just keep in mind: Jafar was a master of manipulation who used others to do his dirty work. No matter how nice Jay may seem, there's always a chance he may be the same way."

"I know, Mom. Everyone keeps reminding me of that." Alia admitted. "I'll be careful."

Alia spent part of the rest of the day with Jordan, and even hanging out in the garden by the fountain with Raisa. She also got to sit in on a meeting between her father and some representatives from Arendale to discuss trade and other royal responsibilities. Responsibilities that would one day be Alia's to handle.

The representatives stayed for dinner before Sultan Aladdin escorted them to the airport where their own plane was waiting to return them home.

As evening wore into night, Alia walked through the palace halls toward her bedroom, ready to at least prepare for bed.

A flash of purple zoomed past Alia's shoulder, creating a gust of wind that blew some of her black hair past her face. Something small bounced on her shoulder before leaping past her, shrieking angrily.

Alia paused in her walking, a slight grin tugging at her lips.

Magic Carpet zoomed farther down the hall, Abu scurrying close behind. Carpet spun around, keeping high enough in the air that Abu couldn't reach him, and used his hand-like tassel to wave Abu's small, purple and red fez tauntingly out of the small monkey's reach. Abu leapt for it, babbling and squeaking furiously when Carpet moved it just out of his reach.

Alia laughed quietly as Carpet spun and continued on down the hallway. Abu scurried after him once more, leaping up onto a tapestry hanging on the wall in order to gain some height. As he flew on after Carpet, the tapestry he'd swung from fell from it's hanging rod and fluttered to the floor.

"Abu!" Alia scolded, changing course to approach the fallen tapestry.

"Uh oh." she heard Abu squeak as she knelt down and lifted part of the tapestry, as it had folded in on itself. Seeing a familiar face on the colored fabric, Alia stood up and hung it back up on the rod, straightening it out before stepping back to get a better view of the familiar tapestry.

Her father was younger; newly made the Sultan. He was wearing his formal Sultan garb of his turban with the large, purple feather and his Sultan robes. Next to him sat Jasmine, also recently-made Sultana judging by her age. She was wearing her formal, light purple dress that nearly matched her husband's feather. The dress left her shoulders bare, and she was wearing a matching headband with a sapphire in the middle, gold earrings, and a gold necklace.

Both Sultan and Sultana were smiling into the picture on the tapestry, and they were both holding something.

Propped up in Jasmine's arms, tiny face staring into the picture like her parents, was a tiny baby girl, no more than a couple weeks old, wrapped loosely in a light purple blanket. She had a head of thick, black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and tan skin.

Alia was looking at herself as a baby.

Shifting her eyes, she looked over at what, or rather _who_ , her father was holding.

In Aladdin's arms was a baby very similar to Alia, held propped up in a way similar to how Jasmine was holding her. This baby was wrapped in a blue blanket. It's eyes were a chocolate brown like Alia's, and they were even a similar shape. It's hair wasn't as thick as Alia's and it was a shade lighter than hers, more of a very dark brown. It's plump, baby lips were even tugged up slightly in a tiny smile.

This was Alia's twin brother, Jason.

Alia smiled slightly as she gazed at the family picture. The first, and only, official royal picture of the whole family.

As Alia's eyes moved back to her brother, she found herself drawn to his eyes. As she stared into the fabric copy of her brother's eyes, she found her smile falling slightly. Even though she wasn't actually looking at her brother's eyes, she found herself drawn to them. There was something…very familiar.

Alia stepped closer to the tapestry, her hand lifting without thought until her fingers lightly touched the soft fabric near his face.

There was no life behind his eyes, since it was nothing more than carefully-chosen brown fabric, but she couldn't help feeling a tug at the edge of her mind. Of course she recognized her twin's eyes, despite the many, _many_ years since she'd seen him, but there was something else there she felt she should recognize.

Then, it hit her.

Gasping slightly, Alia stumbled back a few steps away from the tapestry. She didn't realize how far she'd stumbled back until her back hit the wall on the other side of the hallway. She stared, fixated, at her brother's picture. Her mind was racing with thoughts. There was no way, absolutely _no way_ , what she was thinking was remotely possible.

She'd seen those eyes before. Recently. _Very_ recently.

She'd seen them in _Jay_.

That was it. That was why she'd thought Jay's eyes were familiar from the moment they met. Of course Jay's face and physical appearance was completely different from when he was a baby; he was sixteen years old now, after all. But his eyes were still the same. That was why she recognized his eyes and not his face. He didn't look like Jafar, he looked like Aladdin. Aladdin and Jasmine and Alia.

"Ell _ooo_." A small hand suddenly waved in front of Alia's face, breaking her stare down with her brother's picture. She glanced over and saw Abu perched on her shoulder, his fez returned to his head. On her other side, Carpet was standing on the floor, tapping his hand-like tassels together worriedly.

"I'm fine." Alia whispered, looking back at the tapestry. _'No,'_ she thought to herself, _'there's no way Jay is Jason. Absolutely no way. It's physically impossible.'_

And yet, as Alia forced herself to continue walking down the hall toward her room, she couldn't get her mind-and heart-to completely agree.

She reached her room in a daze and climbed into her bed, not even bothering to change, mostly because the thought didn't even occur to her. As she curled up under her light blanket, her mind recalled a memory from her childhood. A story she'd been told so many times she remembered all the details as if she'd been there.

 _"Tell me a story, Mama." a young, ten year old Alia asked, bouncing slightly in her bed._

 _Jasmine chuckled warmly, sitting down next to her daughter on the big bed. "Alright, which story would you like to hear, sweetie?"_

 _"About my brother." Alia answered seriously._

 _Jasmine gazed down at her sadly for a moment. "Are you sure? You know that's not a happy story. And it scares you."_

 _"I won't get scared." Alia declared. "I'm a big girl now. And I know no one can get me. Because Rajah will protect me," she pointed to where Rajah was sitting next to the bed, his chin rested on the mattress, "and Daddy will protect me, and you will, and all the guards. Oh! And Raisa!" she added, tugging her three month old tiger cub toward her and cuddling Raisa to her chest. Raisa rubbed the top of her head along Alia's chin, making her giggle. "Please, Mama!" Alia begged._

 _Jasmine sighed, but she was smiling slightly. "Okay, if you want." Scooting around slightly, Jasmine leaned back against the pillows, pulling her daughter toward her._

 _"Well, you and Jason were born in January, and your father and I planned on you both sleeping in the room just next to ours for the first year or so. And from the moment you two were born, Rajah rarely left either of you. He followed us around when we carried you and Jason, and he slept in your nursery every single night._

 _"When you two were only three weeks old, your father and I were woken late in the night by a loud, thundering roar." Jasmine continued._

 _"Rajah's roar." Alia cut in, knowing full well how loud the big tiger could roar when he was angry. He'd never roared at Alia, of course, but he'd roared at people who had dared to upset her or endanger her in any way._

 _"Yes, Rajah's roar." Jasmine agreed with a sad smile, brushing some hair from Alia's forehead. "Your father and I ran as fast as we could to your room, knowing Rajah wouldn't do such a thing without reason._

 _"When we got to your room, we saw Rajah up on his hind legs, his head stuck out of your bedroom window. I could hear a baby crying in one of the cribs in the room, but your father and I raced to the window to see what Rajah was looking at. All we could really see was someone in a dark hooded cape running away across palace grounds. I could still hear you crying, so I hurried to comfort you. That's when I realized. You were in your crib, crying and wiggling about. But your brother's crib…it was empty." Jasmine whispered, her eyes glistening. "Jason was gone. Aladdin ran from the room calling for the guards. The palace, the village, even the nearby kingdoms. Everywhere we could think of was searched. But we couldn't find him. Our son was gone."_

 _Alia rested her head on her mother's chest. Although she couldn't remember her brother, she felt the loss as much as her parents. Even just hearing the story of her twin's kidnapping, it made her feel closer to him. It closed that hole that his disappearance had left._

 _"Don't worry, Mama." Alia whispered. "The bad guy won't get me. I'm safe here."_

 _Jasmine hugged her daughter close, kissing the top of her head. "I know, sweetie. I know."_

Alia took a deep breath, staring blankly up at the curtains covering her bed. She knew now there was no way she'd get any sleep. Despite knowing it was impossible for Jay to be Jason, her aching heart couldn't help filling her with an impossible hope.

 **XXX**

 **Whew, I better get some reviews for this chapter! Just to let me know what you all think, pretty please? Reviews make me happy! (Well, as long as they're nice.)**


	10. Chapter 10

A cool breeze brushed Alia's hair back from her face, causing her to close her eyes. The breeze in Agrabah was only this cool on certain parts of the day. The temperature tended to drop into the nineties during the night, usually returning to the triple digits around 10 in the morning.

Her cell phone playing the familiar tune of 'Friend Like Me', Genie's song, broke her out of her bliss. Sighing, Alia leaned forward on the rock she was sitting on to pull her phone from the pocket of her purple harem pants.

"Hello?" she asked into the phone after answering it.

"Alia, where are you?" Jordan asked through the phone. "One of the guards said you went out for a ride early this morning. Are you nuts? Your dad checked your room at eight and you weren't there. What kind of person wakes up before eight if they don't have to?"

Alia rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "I just…I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided to go for a ride. Why? Am I needed back home?"

"Not needed, per se, but your parents had the cooks make all your favorite breakfast foods since we're leaving later. Of course, I can eat your breakfast for you, if you want."

"Don't you dare." Alia laughed, standing up from her rock. "I'll be there in…less than an hour?"

"Good grief, how far did you go?" Jordan laughed in disbelief. "And what time did you leave? The sun's barely up!"

"Oh, hush. Tell them I'm on my way." Alia told her before hanging up her phone. She approached the single palm tree, which had provided a nice shade when the sun started to rise, and untied her horse's reins from the trunk.

"Alright, Lyra, let's get back to the palace." Alia told the Arabian mare she'd ridden.

Lyra, who was Alia's personal favorite, if not actually her horse, was a beautiful red chestnut color that shone a deep golden color in the sun. Her mane and tail were white, and her front left leg was white up to her knee.

Lyra nudged her nose into Alia's chest while the princess tossed the reins back over the horse's head. Alia smiled, stroking her hand over the horse's nose. Being an Arabian horse, the bridge of her nose had a dip before it reached her nose. Alia ran her finger over the small, white star on Lyra's forehead, which was no bigger than Alia's thumb. Giving the horse a kiss on the nose, Alia put her foot in the stirrup and mounted her. Giving the reins a tug, she turned her horse back toward the palace and pushed her to a gallop toward home.

What she hadn't told Jordan was that she'd slept very little the night before. Since her little revelation that Jay _might_ be Jason, she'd tossed and turned most of the night. She might have managed a couple hours here and there, but that was about it. Finally, her restlessness drove her from her comfortable bed at around six that morning. She'd gone straight out to the stables, put a saddle on Lyra, and gone out for a long ride to clear her head. Of course, it hadn't helped much. Her thoughts kept circling back to the possibility of Jay being her twin before her logical side brought her back to reality. There was absolutely no way Jay and Jason were the same person. It was impossible. They were born four years after the Isle of the Lost was created. Jafar couldn't have gotten Jason when he was imprisoned on the Isle. It was impossible.

Alia returned to the palace about half an hour later. Dismounting her horse, she lead Lyra by the reins to the stable. She was in the middle of taking the saddle off the mare when her father entered the stable.

"Hey, I was wondering where you'd disappeared to this morning." Aladdin commented, coming to lean on the stall door next to Lyra's where she was tied up, drinking from a bucket of water on the ground.

"Oh, yeah. I woke up early and wanted to go for a ride. Sorry I didn't tell anyone." Alia apologized, putting the saddle away before returning with a brush.

"It's not a big problem. A couple of the guards mentioned you'd gone out. How long were you gone?"

Alia glanced at the clock above the entrance to the stable. "A few hours." she admitted, running the coarse brush over Lyra's coat to make it shine.

"Go anywhere interesting?"

Alia shrugged, her eyes fixed on Lyra's back. "Not really. Just got out of the village. Found a palm tree to tie Lyra to so I could sit in the shade. It was nice."

Aladdin nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on his daughter's distracted expression. "'Lia, are you okay?" he asked gently, using the familiar nickname that only he really called her. Her mother and Genie would occasionally, but it was usually him.

Alia's head snapped up to look at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked smoothly. It was relatively believable. It might have fooled someone who didn't know her very well. But Aladdin knew his daughter better than just about anyone.

"Nice try." he told her. "If you don't feel comfortable telling me, you don't have to. But you know you can come to me for anything." Then, he smirked slightly. "I'm not the type to look through someone's cell phone for answers." he added, holding up a familiar cell phone. Alia gasped, snatching her phone from her dad and holding it to her chest.

"You-Dad!" Alia couldn't help but laugh. Of course, that's where she got her pickpocketing abilities. Her and her dad were always playfully competing in things like that. Her easy smile faltered slightly when she remembered that _Jay_ was also exceptional as stealing.

Aladdin noticed her smile fall and frowned in concern again. "Alia, you can talk to me." he reminded her gently.

Alia sighed, picking up the brush she'd dropped. Instead of continuing with her brushing, she ran her thumb over the rough bristles thoughtfully. She couldn't just tell her suspicions to her dad. What if she got his hopes up only for her suspicions to be false? But maybe if she was vague enough, she could get some kind of help from him.

"What would you do," she asked slowly, "if you suspected something to be true…or false, but you couldn't talk to anyone about it?" She cringed slightly at the end, not quite liking how she'd worded that.

Aladdin hummed thoughtfully, leaning his shoulder against the neighboring stall door. "Is it something you want to try and prove? Or disprove?"

Alia shrugged uncertainly. "I mean, if it's true, I'd like to figure it out. But…it's completely insane and I can't just _tell_ anyone about it."

"And I'm assuming I'm one of the people you can't talk to about it?" Aladdin guessed knowingly.

Alia grimaced guiltily, looking up at him from under her thick eyelashes. She didn't have to verbally answer. Her expression was answer enough.

"Well," Aladdin sighed, standing up straight and moving around Lyra to pick up the bucket of water, "all I can tell you, then, is to try and find out the truth. If it's important to you, do what you can to find out. One of the most important lessons I learned when I met your mother is that the truth is one of the most important things in the world. You can't live a lie, even if it's a small one. Also, if you can find one person who you trust who can help you figure this all out, that wouldn't hurt either."

Alia smiled softly. "Thanks, Dad."

Aladdin leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Finish up in here and come inside. We saved some of your favorites from breakfast."

Alia spent the next few hours with her family and ate lunch with them, but soon after lunch, they all headed back to the airport to board the royal jet for their ride home.

"Before I forget," Aladdin announced as the limo pulled up to the airport, "this is for you." he told his daughter with a slight smirk, pulling a familiar, flat box from Jasmine's purse and handing it to his daughter.

Alia gasped, lifting the lid to ensure it truly was what she thought it was. "Oh my gosh, I love you!" she squealed, seeing more than two dozen pieces of chocolate.

"Corona's finest chocolate. Make it last." Aladdin added, pretending to be stern as he pointed a finger at her.

Jordan laughed. "Good luck with that. It'll be gone by tomorrow."

Alia stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Shut up, Jor. Just for that, you can't have any."

"Like you would've shared with me anyway." Jordan scoffed.

After another long, boring plane ride, they landed in Auradon City's airport and took another limo back to Auradon Prep.

Alia took a deep breath, getting out of the limo with her bag over her shoulder. While she loved home, she also loved that the average temperature in Auradon City stayed around the seventies and eighties instead of being over 100 degrees.

Walking alongside Jordan, Alia headed for the front door of the school. The sun was setting behind the school, causing them to enter the building's shadow while the rest of the grounds was covered in a golden light.

Just as they entered the front doors of the school, Alia glanced over to see Jay heading toward the same staircase as them. She tensed slightly, averting her eyes to focus on the stairs that would eventually lead to her dorm room.

"Hey, I thought I wouldn't be seeing you until Monday." Jay greeted the two girls, talking more to Alia. He was wearing gym shorts and a tank top, his hair in a ponytail and a light sheen of sweat covering his skin and sticking a few stray strands of hair to his face. He must've just come from the gym, Alia figured.

"Um, well," Alia stuttered slightly, "I figured I wouldn't see you until class tomorrow, but we were planning on getting back tonight."

"Okay. Have a fun weekend?" he asked curiously. Jordan took the lead up the staircase. Alia walked a step behind with Jay walking next to her.

"It was pretty fun." Alia admitted honestly.

"Was Raisa happy to see you?" Jay asked with a slight smirk.

Jordan turned to look back at Alia with raised eyebrows. Alia had only ever told a handful of people about Raisa, very few from school.

"Oh yeah, she was." Alia admitted, chuckling at the memory. "She nearly bowled me over when I got off the plane."

"I'll bet." Jay laughed. "What does she weigh, a ton?"

"A ton is two thousand pounds." Alia laughed at him. "She weighs, like, 300."

"Still. How did she _not_ bowl you over?" Jay laughed.

"She's well-trained." Alia informed him, rolling her eyes.

"Well, this is me." Jordan interrupted their conversation, arriving at her shelf. She placed her lamp on the top shelf and turned to smirk back at them. "Nice seeing you again, Jay. See you in class tomorrow, Alia. Bye!" And with a poof of purple smoke, Jordan vanished into her lamp.

"Well, she's…nice." Jay commented lightly.

Alia smiled, but was back to feeling awkward again. She wasn't sure how Jay could make her go from awkward to comfortable, but then again…maybe she did know?

Shaking off her thoughts, Alia turned and headed up the next flight of stairs.

Jay hurried after her. "So, what all did you do while in Agrabah?"

"Hmm?" Alia hummed, being pulled back out of her thoughts. "Oh, uh…just hung out with my family, got my dress fitted for the coronation,…stuff like that." she admitted vaguely.

Jay stared at the side of her face while they walked, and Alia started feeling uncomfortable under his close scrutiny.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked in a voice she'd never really heard him use before. He almost sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Alia asked, trying to sound believable. She pulled her box of chocolates out from under her arm, figuring chocolate might make her feel better.

"You just seem…off." Jay admitted, eyeing her closely.

"I'm just tired." Alia fibbed, opening the box and picking out a piece of chocolate. As Jordan had suspected, the box was almost half-empty.

"I don't think…what's that?" Jay's doubtful tone changed to interest as he leaned over to look into the box.

"Oh, chocolate. It's my favorite kind, it gets imported in from Corona. My dad gave me this to bring back to school." Alia explained. Seeing the eagerness in Jay's brown eyes, she tilted the box toward him. "Want one?"

Jay's eyes flicked quickly up to hers before he grabbed one and ate it. He hummed and closed his eyes. "You weren't kidding. That's even better than the chocolate that was in the limo."

Alia giggled slightly. "Obviously. You like chocolate, then?"

"Is it that obvious?" Jay asked rhetorically before swallowing his piece.

"Just a bit." Alia laughed, seeing chocolate on the corner of his mouth. "Do they have chocolate on the Isle?"

Jay scoffed. "Yeah, right. We get your guys' leftovers on the Isle. You really think there's very much chocolate, or anything actually sweet, that ends up that far? Most of our food's rotten."

Alia frowned, feeling guilty for bringing it up. "Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Nah, it's fine." Jay waved her off, smiling honestly at her. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Alia smiled slightly, tilting the box toward him again to offer him another piece of chocolate. He accepted with a smile and she got up the nerve to ask another question.

"So,…you were born on the Isle, right?"

Jay nodded, his mouth full of chocolate. "Yep." he mumbled before swallowing. "It's not like I could've been born anywhere else. The Isle was created four years before I was born, so…"

"True." Alia agreed with a nod. "And you were born…"

"Same day as you, how could you forget that?" Jay laughed.

Alia laughed, too. "Right, of course. January 21. It's an awesome day to be born."

"Heck yeah, it is!" Jay laughed, putting his fist up. Alia laughed, bumping her own fist to Jay's. "So, you like chocolate, too, I take it?"

"What makes you say that?" Alia asked innocently.

"That box is half-empty." Jay told her bluntly, glancing down at the box in her hands. Blushing, Alia put the lid back on the box and held it under her arm.

"Okay,…so I like chocolate a little bit. Can you blame me?"

"Not at all. It's my new favorite food group." Jay grinned.


	11. Chapter 11

Monday was relatively uneventful, until Chemistry that is. Alia had almost forgotten, given her eventful weekend, that they had a test in Chemistry that afternoon. Of course, the words 'EXAMINATION' written in all capital letters on the chalkboard quickly reminded her when she entered the classroom.

She managed to do a bit of cramming in the few minutes before the test, and luckily she remembered most of the stuff from Friday, so she felt as confident as she could to take her test when the bell rang and Mr. Deley passed the tests around the room.

She was just reading the first question when Mr. Deley's voice spoke just loud enough for the people sitting in the front half of the class to hear.

"Looking for something?"

Alia looked up in time to see Evie snap her purse shut. The teacher held up what looked like a beat-up old handheld mirror. Alia glanced curiously at Evie, wondering what the deal with the mirror was. Evie's mouth opened wordlessly.

"Thank you, Chad." Mr. Deley continued to the prince sitting next to where the plump teacher stood. "It's gratifying to see that someone still respects the honor code."

Chad turned a smug grin on Evie, who looked like she was trying to kill him with her eyes.

"It will be my recommendation that you are expelled." Mr. Deley continued to Evie. Alia's mouth fell open, but before she could even consider jumping to Evie's defense, Doug did it for her.

"But that isn't fair." Doug pleaded, standing up. "Obviously she wasn't cheating since she didn't have that…whatever it is." he pointed out, gesturing to what the teacher still had in his hand.

"It's called a magic m-"

"You're not helping." Doug interrupted Evie, who ducked her head sheepishly. "Maybe she needed another pencil." Doug suggested to Mr. Deley, who didn't look the least bit convinced.

"Actually, I was-"

"Really, don't help." Doug cut Evie off again. Alia would've thought that a kid from the Isle would be a little _less_ honest about possibly being caught cheating. Unless they were raised to be proud of cheating?

Doug turned and looked beseechingly at the teacher, which Evie echoed with a pleading, puppy-eyed expression.

"Well, if you can pass this test, I'll return your property and let the matter drop." Mr. Deley conceded, probably due to Doug being his favorite student.

Doug and Evie thanked him, but when Chad shot Evie a smug sneer, the blue-haired girl glared him down. Doug tapped her shoulder and the two bent over their tests once again.

Alia turned back to her own test, trying to push a couple major thoughts from her mind. One was the hope that Evie would pass the test, because she didn't want the girl sent back to the Isle. Her other thoughts…were on revenge on Chad Charming.

When classes were done for the day, Alia headed to the gym. There were a few people playing sports or jogging around the gymnasium, but that wasn't what she was here for. Glancing around inconspicuously, she pulled the hood of her baggy, white hoodie over her head. Casually, she headed toward the locker-rooms. She glanced toward the right, where the girls locker-room was, and then headed left, into the boys locker-room.

She kept her head lowered, but luckily there seemed to be no one in the room. For now. But she needed to be quick, either way. She couldn't get caught in here.

She quickly and easily located Chad's locker. With another cautious glance around, she pulled a bobby pin from her pocket and expertly picked the padlock on Chad's locker. Grinning, she pulled the blue metal door open to find, as she suspected, Chad's everyday clothes inside. Tourney practice was currently going on, so he would be wearing his practice padding and jersey at the moment, and wouldn't be needing his clothes for another hour, at least.

She searched through the locker until she found his pale yellow sweater he'd been wearing that day. She turned it over and spread it out so the back was smooth on the bottom of the locker. She figured it'd be safer to keep her activities hidden within the locker instead of getting the sweater out where someone could walk in and see.

Pulling her backpack around, she reached inside it and felt around until she found her small stack of multicolored sticky notes. Pulling it out, she grinned at the picture drawn on the top, pink piece of paper.

It was a fairly decent sketch, if she did say so herself, of Chad as Pinocchio, his nose very long, and talking to a couple girls. To be sure people knew what the picture was, she'd written out Chad's name and drew an arrow pointing to the long-nosed boy's head.

Feeling fairly accomplished, she pulled the sticky note off the stack and stuck it on the back of Chad's sweatshirt. She made sure to rub her thumb firmly over the sticky part a few times to ensure it would stick, and even pulled out a piece of tape to stick the bottom of the note in place, as well.

With that done, she turned the sweatshirt over so Chad wouldn't see the note right away. She then closed the locker quietly, relocked it, and turned to leave-

Only to smack into someone.

Gasping, Alia instinctively ducked her head and tried to move around the person, hoping her hood had kept her face hidden.

"Nice try, Alia." a familiar voice scolded, a grin obvious in his voice.

Grimacing, Alia looked up and met the dark brown eyes of Li Shang Jr., affectionately known as Li'l Shang to just about everyone.

"Um,…hi Shang." she murmured quietly, looking sheepishly up at him from under her lashes.

"What are you up to?" he asked knowingly, crossing his arms over his broad chest and eyeing her knowingly. "In the boys locker-room. In Chad Charming's locker." he added pointedly.

"Uuuuuumm…" she drew the word out, her mind drawing a blank. This hadn't exactly been her most planned-out scheme. Admittedly, she probably should've at least planned out a cover story in the event she be caught in the locker-room. "I got lost?" she suggested helplessly.

"Funny." Shang countered. "Knowing you, you're doing something that's likely breaking at least a handful of school rules,…but you also probably have a good reason. So, let's hear it."

Li'l Shang was obviously the son of Li Shang and Fa Mulan and the older brother of Lonnie. He looked a lot like his father; he was of Chinese descent and was muscular with chiseled cheekbones and a strong jaw line. He had thick eyebrows and narrow, dark brown eyes, and his black hair was long enough to sweep over his eyebrows in a sort of skater boy haircut.

Alia and Shang had known each other almost as long as she'd known Lonnie, and she considered him at least somewhat of a friend. They'd also visited each other's families on a couple occasions, given how close Alia and Lonnie were. Shang had also played a part in Alia's self-defense and sword fighting training. Having graduated Auradon Prep the previous year, he was taking a year off and was working as the Swords and Shields assistant coach.

Alia sighed in defeat, glancing nervously around to make sure no one else was around. "Okay, Chad was a total jerk in Chemistry today, he almost got Evie expelled, so I thought I'd just get a little harmless payback." she explained in a rushed whisper.

Shang nodded slowly, taking in every word. "And what kind of 'harmless payback'?"

"It's just a sticky note on the back of his sweatshirt. No big deal." she waved it off, hoping he'd believe her.

"And what's on the sticky note?" Shang asked, his expression neutral.

"A drawing of Chad…with Pinocchio's nose." she admitted quietly.

Shang stared at her for a few long moments, his expression still blank. Alia was starting to feel like he was going to rat her out when he grinned. He lifted his hand and held his fist out to her. Grinning in relief, Alia bumped her fist to his.

"Not bad. Just don't get caught." Shang warned her, still smirking slightly. "Now get outta here before someone else comes down here." he ordered lightly, pushing at the back of her shoulder to turn her toward the door.

"Thanks, Shang." she breathed in relief, grinning at him before hurrying out of the locker-room.

Alia skipped her usual routine of watching tourney practice with Lonnie, considering it would nearly be over by the time she got there. So instead, she headed straight to her and Lonnie's usual picnic table where they ate lunch and dinner. She got one homework assignment done before Lonnie joined her and they grabbed trays of food to eat.

She was turned to her right, talking with Lonnie about their lesson in Heroism class, when she reached for her apple on her lunch tray. Feeling nothing in the spot the apple should be, her head snapped around, her narrowed eyes easily finding the smirking boy standing just behind her left shoulder. Jay took a bite of her apple, meeting her gaze playfully.

"Jay-" Alia started angrily, her voice cutting off as she struggled for a moment. Then her angry expression changed to confused. "Do you have a last name? Or a middle one? What's your full name?" she asked curiously.

Jay snorted, amused by her sudden change of demeanor. He sat on the end of the picnic bench, his hip bumping hers and scooting her over easily.

"No, as far as I know, I don't have a last name. At least not one my dad ever mentioned." he informed her before taking another bite of the apple.

"Is Jay short for anything?" she asked curiously, seeing an easy opening for what she'd been wondering.

Jay chewed thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing. "I don't know." he admitted honestly, meeting her eyes. "I don't think so. I've only ever been called Jay. Then again, I don't know if my dad would ever bother telling me stuff like that. I think he would."

Alia hummed thoughtfully, nodding her head. "Well, if he's never called you anything else, that's probably your name, then." she agreed, though she wasn't sure if she believed it herself.

"Oh, guess what?" Jay suddenly perked up, smirking deviously.

"What?" Alia and Lonnie both asked curiously.

"Chad still hasn't noticed yet," Jay started, leaning in close and whispering to the two girls, "but someone stuck a note on the back of his sweater. I think it's a picture of him looking like Pinocchio with the long nose. People have been laughing about it, and I think someone even took a picture and posted it online."

Alia covered her mouth to muffle her laughter, but Lonnie didn't bother. She burst into a fit of giggles, leaning forward over the table.

"That's amazing!" Lonnie gasped between her giggles. Jay was chuckling, too, but his eyes were fixed intently on Alia's expression. She didn't bother hiding her amusement. After all, just because she found it funny didn't mean she did it.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Jay whispered knowingly, smirking slightly.

Alia's mouth fell open. She was aware that Lonnie had quieted her giggling and was listening to them. "What makes you say that?" she managed to get out, refusing to break eye contact with Jay.

Jay's smirked softened slightly, as if he were actually thinking about a response. "Not sure." he admitted. "But I get the feeling that you did it."

Alia debated admitting the truth. After all, if word got out she'd get in trouble.

"Nope. Wasn't me. I've been here working on homework." she answered convincingly.

Jay narrowed his eyes doubtfully, his head tilted just slightly as he stared into her eyes. She kept her expression blank, hoping she'd convinced him.

"Liar." he finally said confidently. "It was definitely you. You suck at lying."

"I do not!" she protested. "I'm great at lying. I mean-" she faltered, realizing it wasn't very "Auradon" to claim to be great at lying.

"Nope. You were definitely lying. It was you." Jay stated with certainty.

"Okay, okay." she whispered quickly, glancing around. "Yes, it was me, but you don't need to go around telling people. I don't want to get in trouble."

"What'd Charming do to deserve it this time?" Lonnie asked knowingly.

Alia glanced briefly at Jay before admitting, "He almost got Evie expelled in Chemistry today."

Jay sat bolt upright. "What?" he whispered harshly, leaning forward.

"She has some kind of mirror," Alia started, watching Jay for any sign he might know what she was talking about. Sure enough, when she mentioned a mirror, a flash of recognition crossed his eyes. "I'm not sure how he found out about it, but he must have taken it from her somehow, or told Mr. Deley about it. Either way, Mr. Deley got hold of it and threatened to expel her for somehow using the mirror to cheat. Doug talked him down, begging Deley give Evie a chance to take the test and prove she hadn't been cheating."

"And?" Jay urged, looking worried.

Alia shrugged. "I don't know how she did. We probably won't get our grades until tomorrow."

"What if she fails?" Jay asked worriedly.

"It sounded like, if she passes the test he'll return the mirror and drop the whole thing. But if she fails…he made it sound like he'd recommend she be expelled."

"So,…she fails, and she gets sent back to the Isle." Jay murmured.

Alia looked at him worriedly. "Does she not want to go back?" she asked quietly.

Jay's eyes flickered up to meet hers. "It's…complicated." he admitted finally.

Alia nodded slowly, understanding he didn't want to talk about it.

 **XXX**

 **Li'l Shang is not my character! He is a character from the Descendants book** _ **Rise of the Isle of the Lost**_ **, and I really like him, so I decided to bring him into the story. However, I'm not too fond of the "Li'l" part of his name. It sounds like a rapper name. So Alia will probably just call him Shang.**

 **Anyway, review to let me know what you thought! Especially of Alia's revenge on Chad! Hehehe!**


	12. Chapter 12

Alia's eyes remained fixed firmly on Lonnie's, their swords pointed at each other. Then, Lonnie lunged forward. Alia brought her sword up to block the attack and the fight began. The clang of blade against blade echoed in the empty amphitheatre as they parried back and forth.

Finding herself stepping back as Lonnie continued her attack, Alia felt her foot bump one of the blue and yellow blocks that sat in a circle in the gym, ready to help or hinder any sword-fighters that entered the room. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Alia lurched forward, slicing her sword at Lonnie and causing the other girl to step back. Now with more space, Alia jumped high backward, landing lightly atop the block. She then leapt high in the air, somersaulting clean over Lonnie's head. While directly above Lonnie's body, she struck her sword out toward Lonnie's head and neck, but she easily blocked the strike with her own sword. Alia landed and immediately rolled once across the floor, spinning in a crouch and knocking her leg into Lonnie's knees.

Lonnie fell but managed to flip herself right back up onto her feet. She came back at Alia, blade swinging expertly. Alia ducked and spun, hitting Lonnie in the back with her sword. She spun back the other way, bringing her sword up to strike for Lonnie's neck, only to feel the cool metal of a sword blade at her own neck.

"I yield." Alia sighed in defeat, lowering her sword hand.

A slow clapping made both girls look toward the doors, lowering their swords and standing straight. Li'l Shang was leaning his shoulder against the doorway.

"Nice. Both of you. I see you've been practicing." he commented, entering the room and approaching them.

"Just a bit." Lonnie grinned at her brother, resting her sword up against her shoulder.

"I suppose you've got pointers?" Alia guessed teasingly, even though she wouldn't mind pointers from Shang. He'd been the captain of the Swords and Shields team while in school, and that only happens to those who can beat the previous captain. For him to maintain his position as captain for three of his four years of high school proved he was next to impossible to beat.

"Only if you don't mind." he admitted with a grin.

Shang gave both girls some good pointers, explaining what Alia had done wrong that ended in her defeat. Unfortunately, their little lesson needed to be cut short in order to get to class on time.

At the end of the day, Alia plopped down on the grass in the shade of an oak tree, leaning back against the trunk to relax for a few minutes before she even thought about tackling her homework.

"You really like the outdoors, huh?" a familiar voice commented as someone sat down next to her. Alia felt someone's arm brush hers and opened her eyes to look over. She returned Jay's grin.

"Just a little bit. It might have something to do with how much cooler it is here than back home." she commented lightly.

"Just how hot is Agrabah?" Jay asked curiously.

"Well, it's a desert, so…it averages about a hundred degrees Fahrenheit most days. Auradon City is usually twenty degrees cooler or more."

"Jeez, and you like living there?" Jay asked teasingly.

Alia stuck her tongue out at him. "It may be hot, but…it's home." she explained simply.

She leaned her head back against the tree trunk, letting a cool breeze tickle her cheeks. Her eyes caught a flash of blue and purple. Looking closely, she saw Mal and Evie hurrying toward the dorms. Evie appeared to be messing with Mal's hair and clothes for some reason.

"What's up with Mal and Evie?" Alia asked curiously, her eyes not straying from the two girls. Jay followed her gaze and chuckled.

"Oh. Mal ran into me earlier asking where Evie was. Apparently Ben asked her out on a date and she doesn't know the first thing about that kind of stuff."

Alia smiled. "Sweet. Oh, did you hear how Evie did on her test?" she asked, looking over at Jay again. They'd gotten their tests back that day. Alia was proud of her 'B', given how Chemistry wasn't exactly her strong suit.

His smile faltered. "No. Why? Did you?"

Alia nodded with a grin. "Well, I don't know the exact grade she got, but Mr. Deley didn't try to hide how disappointed-and impressed-he was by her grade. So obviously she passed."

Jay sighed in relief. "So she won't get sent back to the Isle?"

"Probably not. Unless she gets caught cheating or something like that. She'll need to be more careful, especially if Chad's still out to get her."

Jay snorted. "Charming's clearly got nothing better to do with his life."

"Well, I could've told you that." Alia told him jokingly.

The next morning dawned nice and early for Alia. Not feeling like an intense workout or training session with Lonnie, she'd settled for jogging a couple miles along a path in the woods behind the school.

 _"Gotta keep one jump ahead of the breadline, One swing ahead of the sword…"_ the song 'One Jump Ahead' was playing through the one earpiece in her ear as she jogged. She picked up her pace slightly, seeing the pale light of dawn filtering through the rare breaks in the trees.

The song suddenly cut off when her phone started ringing. Alia slowed down to a walk, pulling her phone from her shorts pocket. Her brow furrowed curiously, seeing her dad's name on the caller ID. Why would her dad be calling her before seven o'clock in the morning? And why would he be video calling her of all things? Worried, she answered the phone. She wasn't sure what she was looking at when the screen changed. The screen was moving and shaking, as if her dad was running or something. She thought she caught glimpses of the marble floor and wall of the palace, and maybe a pillar.

"Hello?" she asked. "Dad?"

The screen moved again and Alia suddenly saw a brown face with a little button nose and a big eye taking up the whole screen. Alia started in surprise before chuckling slightly.

"Abu. Did you steal Dad's phone again?" she laughed, silently noting stealing phones must be a family thing.

Abu chattered happily, beaming at her as the phone shook slightly. Alia shook her head in amusement.

"You little bugger. He's going to be so mad at you." she told him, not even bothering trying to hide her amusement.

Abu just shrugged and continued to babble on. Unlike her dad, Alia couldn't necessarily understand what Abu said, but sometimes he was so obvious about what he was trying to say that it wasn't too hard to guess. This time, Alia wasn't sure what he was trying to get at.

"Did you mean to call me or was that an accident?" she asked curiously.

Abu merely babbled on in his high-pitched voice. Alia really had no idea what he was trying to say. There were no hints at all as to what he was saying.

 _"Abu?"_ a familiar voice called in the background. Alia grinned slightly when Abu very clearly squeaked an 'Uh oh'. _"Abu, give me my phone back!"_ Alia's dad called, sounding frustrated. The screen shook wildly for a few seconds, and Alia laughed when she heard her dad scolding Abu and demanding he give the phone back while Abu squeaked in protest. Finally, the screen stilled. _"Oh, great, who did you call now? It better not be Hercules or Zeus again. You were lucky on our last visit that Zeus found you amusing; you could've started a war when you tried to steal his lightning bolt!"_

Aladdin's face suddenly appeared in the screen and Alia grinned. Her dad's graying, black hair was messy and he appeared to have recently woken up.

"Nope, no immortal gods on this end. Just me." she joked.

Aladdin sighed in relief. "Good. Well, sorry if he woke you up, 'Lia."

"He didn't. I'm on a run. What's he so excited about, anyway? I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something."

Aladdin's eyes widened for a moment before he glared to the side and down slightly, probably at where Abu was perched nearby.

"Oh, nothing important, really." Aladdin assured her, turning back to look at her through the phone screen. "He's just being his typical, mischievous self."

In a quiet whisper that Alia probably wouldn't have caught if it weren't for her ear bud still being in her ear, her dad hissed at Abu, _"You can't ruin the surprise. And if you don't watch it, I'll change my mind. Jasmine already thinks I'm crazy."_

Alia narrowed her eyes curiously, but she knew asking him would get her nowhere. The word 'surprise' clued her in that Abu was clearly trying to tell her something that she wasn't supposed to know. Yet.

"Well, I should probably go." Alia told her dad, interrupting his argument with Abu. "I've got to get back to the gym so I can shower before class."

"Right. Sorry about Abu bothering you." her dad answered.

"Don't worry about it. I love Abu." Alia assured him with a grin.

Abu popped up on her dad's shoulder. He then stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at Aladdin, who rolled his eyes. Alia giggled.

"Bye Dad. Bye Abu. Love you guys."

"Love you, too, honey. See you next week." her dad added, referring to Family Day approaching in the near future.

Alia hung up the video call, shaking her head in amusement as she picked up a fast-paced jog to get back to the school.


	13. Chapter 13

Alia glanced up from her math book, her eyes easily finding the tourney player in the blue practice jersey. Jay was certainly off his game this afternoon. Of course, he wasn't so off that it was really noticeable. But it was hard to miss that he'd missed three of the four goals he'd attempted to make, at least to Alia. And he seemed to be tackling as many opposing players as he'd done that first day of tryouts. And he was only barely missing the Dragon Fire shots.

Alia lowered her eyes back down to her book when Coach Jenkins ended practice. Jay was heading toward her, since his gym bag was perched on the bleachers next to her. He marched over to her and threw his tourney stick to the ground, yanking his helmet off his head. He was breathing heavily, his jaw tensing as he glared down at his things.

"You okay?" Alia asked warily, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye.

Jay sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping and his eyes falling closed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"Gee, now why don't I believe you?" Alia asked rhetorically.

Jay grinned ruefully, turning and sitting on the bench next to her. "Alright, maybe 'good' is a bit of a stretch." he admitted.

"I figured." Alia nodded, looking down at her math book. She figured he wouldn't appreciate her staring at him while trying to dig up some answers. "So, what's wrong?"

Jay sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "Fairy Godmother had a…surprise for us in Remedial Goodness class today."

"Oh? Pop quiz?" Alia guessed curiously. She couldn't think of what other kind of surprise that would make him so angry. Then again, she didn't think the same as the Isle kids.

Jay snorted. "I wish. Since Family Day is coming up, and our families obviously can't come, Fairy Godmother arranged for a…video call with our parents."

Alia's lips parted, but she wasn't sure what to say. Clearly the seemingly kind gesture hadn't gone as well as the headmistress had hoped.

"Did something happen?" she asked hesitantly when he didn't continue.

Jay sighed heavily, leaning forward and raking his hands through his long hair. "Um,…it was just…awkward. Watching them pretend to love us. And act like they missed us when all they really cared about was…well…whatever." Jay muttered, leaning his elbows on his knees and looking away from Alia.

Alia bit her lip, watching him worriedly. "I'm sorry." she whispered.

Jay turned back to her, his brows furrowed in confusion. "What do _you_ have to be sorry about?" he asked incredulously.

Alia shrugged. "I don't know. It just didn't sound like a very pleasant call. Did you get to talk to your dad?"

Jay grimaced. "Not really. He may have said a few words to us as a whole, but not to me specifically. And then he went and got in an argument with Cruella." he added with a roll of his eyes.

"Do they fight often?" Alia asked curiously.

Jay scoffed. "They're villains. It's not like they sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya. They argue all the time, especially those four." he told her, referring to Jafar, Evil Queen, Cruella, and Maleficent.

Alia chuckled slightly. "Now you've got me imagining four of Auradon's most evil villains singing around a campfire."

Jay actually laughed, some of the tension leaving his muscles. "Yeah, now I'm picturing it."

"So,…if it's not too much to talk about, what were they fighting about?" Alia asked cautiously.

Jay sighed. "Well, it started out just awkward. Especially when they were mocking Fairy Godmother. It was mostly Mal talking to her mom after that, of course my dad threw out a cheesy line that was obviously fake and uncomfortable." Jay added with a roll of his eyes. "Again, very uncomfortable listening to them pretending to love and miss us. And then…Cruella noticed Carlos holding Dude."

Alia winced. Given Cruella De Vil's infamous obsession with dogs and making fur coats from them, she could only imagine what happened after she saw Dude.

"What happened?" she whispered.

Jay sighed, "Well, she started going off about how he'd make the perfect earmuffs, talking to her stupid stuffed dog she keeps on her shoulder. And Carlos…he just snapped." Jay admitted. "Carlos has always been terrified of his mother. He never would've dared stand up to her back on the Isle. But today he did. Maybe part of it was that she couldn't hurt him through a computer screen, but I think he just reached the end of his rope, in a sense. He got sick of her. He told her that Dude's the perfect size for a pet, going on about how Dude loves him and he loves Dude, and then snapped at his mom to give it a rest."

"Go Carlos." Alia muttered, her eyes wide. From the few conversations she'd had with the white-haired boy, he didn't seem like the type to lose his temper. He seemed too nervous to actually stand up for himself. Then again, he'd seemed a bit more confident since he met Dude. "Do you think part of it is that he realized everything his mom told him about dogs is a lie?" she found herself asking curiously.

Jay glanced at her, his eyes looking thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of that." he admitted. "But it makes sense. Most of the control she held over him was due to his constant fear, particularly his fear of dogs. And he's been much more relaxed since he met Dude."

Alia nodded. "So, how'd Cruella react to her son standing up to her?"

Jay grimaced. "She was definitely shocked." he admitted. "I pulled him back from the screen while my dad had to go and mock Cruella, which is what started the fight. They basically just went back and forth, insulting each other. We're used to them fighting, but it was awkward with Fairy Godmother standing right there, trying to act like she wasn't listening. And it was upsetting the others, so I just ended the call before it could get any worse."

Alia tilted her head slightly, studying Jay's expression for a long moment. She couldn't help her thoughts lingering on his last sentence. He'd ended the call because it was upsetting his friends. He was protecting them. "So, it upset the others; did it upset you, too?"

Jay pursed his lips, looking uncomfortable. "I'm used to it." he muttered. "They're always fighting. It's how villains are."

"That's not what I asked." Alia countered quietly. "And that's a lame excuse. The others would be used to it, too, but you said they were still upset by it."

Jay gave a small, fake grin, glancing over at her. "I guess." Sighing heavily, he added, "Alright, I guess it did upset me. It wouldn't have before…well, I suppose that's wrong." he cut himself off. "It's always upset me, but it's normal. It's normal on the Isle, and if you let it bother you, you won't survive. I guess being in Auradon is making me soft." he added with a derisive chuckle.

"Not soft." Alia argued quietly. "You care. You care about your friends. Being in Auradon has shown you that you don't have to be cold and cruel. You're safe to be yourself." The corner of Jay's lips twitched up slightly, but he didn't look at her. "When you won the MVP at the last tourney game, I saw the look on your face. When the team lifted you up onto their shoulders, you were completely happy. I doubt you ever had the chance to be that happy on the Isle."

Jay let out a huff of laughter. "Yeah, not really. No one's really _happy_ on the Isle of the Lost."

"Well, now you have your chance."

Jay grinned slightly, glancing over at her. "I guess."


	14. Chapter 14

Jay had never seen so many different kinds of food, not even in the school's cafeteria. There were all kinds of different dishes and fresh fruit and even a fountain made of chocolate. It was so good, Jay had gone as far as sticking his tongue under the stream of liquid chocolate.

He was currently moving down the table, plucking all kinds of treats from the dishes to put on his plate, eating half of them as he went. Family Day was clearly a popular event in Auradon, because there were people of all ages scattered across the school grounds.

Jay jumped slightly when he felt a light weight land on his shoulder and suddenly a small, skinny arm covered to the wrist in brown fur stretched down to snatch a fresh strawberry from Jay's plate. Following the thieving appendage, Jay turned his head to see a small, brown monkey in a red vest and a small hat. The little creature met Jay's eyes before shoving the whole strawberry in his mouth, making his cheeks puff up.

"Um." Jay wasn't sure what to say. Since when did Auradon Prep have monkeys?

Mouth still puffed up with food, the monkey suddenly stretched up and climbed onto Jay's head, using his hair to pull itself up. Jay winced but otherwise didn't move, unsure of what to do. He didn't know if the monkey would bite if he did anything.

The monkey's head suddenly popped down from above, making Jay jump again as the now-upside down face appeared inches from his own.

"Can I help you?" he found himself asking as the monkey stared at him. The monkey chattered briefly before climbing down Jay's shoulder and clinging to one side of Jay's chest. Jay leaned his head back when the monkey leaned his face up close and personal to Jay's, his nose twitching as he sniffed Jay. "Uuuuhh…"

"Abu!" a man's voice suddenly exclaimed from nearby. The monkey muttered what sounded like "Uh oh" as a man with tan skin and graying black hair approached Jay. The monkey suddenly scurried over Jay's shoulder and disappeared down the back of Jay's red and black jacket, but Jay didn't hardly notice. The man before him was of Arabian descent like him, with tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair, and he was dressed in formal Arabian robes and a turban that clearly announced his title as a Sultan.

The man stopped in front of Jay and sighed, meeting the boy's eyes. "Sorry about him. My wife warned me not to bring him, but I wanted to surprise my daughter." Turning his eyes back to Jay's shoulder, he continued, "Abu, get out here right now or I'll put you back in the car without even getting to see Alia."

A quiet shriek of protest sounded from Jay's jacket and suddenly, Jay felt something small and furry scamper under his arm and pop out of the front of his jacket. The little monkey jumped to the older man, climbing up to perch on his shoulder and hug the man's neck cutely. The man chuckled, reaching up to scratch the monkey on the head.

"Alright, quit sucking up, Abu. Just behave yourself from now on, please." the man told him. The monkey, Abu, chirped what sounded like a noise of agreement. "Sorry again." the man continued to Jay. "You'd think after more than twenty years he'd learn some manners. I'm Aladdin." he introduced himself, offering a hand.

Jay struggled for a moment, unsure what to say before lifting his hand to shake Aladdin's. "Jay."

"You look familiar." Aladdin continued when their hands had returned to their sides. "How long have you been going to school here?"

"Um, I'm new." Jay forced himself to answer. "I've only been here for a few weeks now."

"Ah." Aladdin nodded his head. "So-"

"Dad!" a familiar voice called, making Jay let out a breath of relief. Alia approached the two and gave her father a hug. Abu squeaked excitedly, clambering from Aladdin's shoulder to Alia's. "Abu!" Alia laughed, pulling away from her dad. The little monkey allowed the girl to hold him in her arms, snuggling into her chest affectionately. "So this is what you meant by Abu trying to ruin the surprise!" Alia exclaimed, beaming at her dad. "I don't suppose you brought Raisa, too, did you?" she added teasingly.

"Unfortunately, most limos aren't built to accommodate wild cats." Aladdin informed her in a similar tone.

Alia's eyes switched over to Jay's and he easily recognized the subtle worried glint in her brown eyes. He offered her a small smile to assure her he was fine.

"I see you've met Jay." she continued, looking back at her father.

"Yes, and he had the misfortune of meeting Abu." her father informed her, smirking down at the little monkey who was being cradled against Alia's chest like a baby.

"Abu, what were you doing to Jay?" Alia asked the monkey in a pretend-scolding voice. Abu blew a raspberry at her before hiding his face in the chest of her white and light purple dress. Alia rolled her eyes, looking at Jay again. "Sorry if he bugged you, Jay. He's worse than a child. I'm surprised Mom let you bring him." she added to her father.

Aladdin opened his mouth to speak, when a woman's voice interrupted him. "He assured me that Abu would be on his best behavior."

The three people turned just as Jasmine joined them. Aladdin instantly wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"What's he done this time?" Jasmine asked, giving Aladdin a knowing look.

"Nothing, dear. Just making new friends." Aladdin assured his wife with a cheesy smile. Jasmine rolled her eyes before looking at Jay.

Alia cleared her throat slightly. "Um, Mom, this is my friend Jay."

Recognition flashed across Jasmine's brown eyes and she smiled warmly at Jay. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Jay." she told him, offering her hand to him. "Alia's told me a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." Jay returned with a slightly uncomfortable laugh.

"Yes, all good things, I assure you." Jasmine confirmed. "And I must admit, you look nothing like your father." she added, eyeing him curiously.

Jay swallowed nervously, glancing over at Aladdin, who smiled.

"It's alright, Jay. I pretty much guessed you were Jafar's son. And I agree with my wife. You don't even really look like Jafar, to be honest, aside from being Arabian." Aladdin added, also looking both curious and a bit confused.

Jay shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe I took after my mom in looks, or something."

Alia looked at him curiously. "Who is your mom?"

Jay shrugged again. "Don't know. Never met her and my dad never talks about her. But that's normal on the Isle. Most kids grow up with only one parent."

Alia nodded slowly, taking in this new information.

"I also hear you're good at Tourney." Aladdin continued, changing the subject smoothly.

Jay laughed, the uncomfortable feeling slowly starting to dissipate. "I'm alright, I guess."

"Alright?" Alia repeated in disbelief. "Where's that Auradon-sized ego of yours? You whooped everyone's butts at tryouts, even though you'd never played before that."

"Shut up." Jay told her in an awkward, sing-song kind of voice.

"Well, she's not wrong." Aladdin agreed. "I saw the sports highlights of your last game on TV a couple weeks ago. And most people aren't voted MVP their first game. You were impressive."

Jay laughed awkwardly, looking down at his feet. Normally he'd be basking in the praise, his ego eating the words up. But for some reason he felt weird hearing Aladdin, his father's arch enemy, praise him on anything, much less Tourney.

Jasmine watched him closely during their conversation. Jay certainly didn't look or act like Jafar. Yes, he seemed confident, but he wasn't cold and calculated like Jafar. And she'd seen Jay play Tourney on TV with her husband. He could've scored the winning goal himself, but he helped his friend, and he set up Prince Ben to make the winning goal instead of doing so himself. Jafar would've never done something like that, forcing him to share the glory. And Jasmine couldn't help thinking that, while Jay looked nothing like Jafar, he did look familiar.

Carlos walked up at that moment, Dude walking at his side on a leash. "Uh, sorry to interrupt." he told them before looking up at Jay. "Mal just invited us to play croquet and eat lunch with Ben and his parents."

Jay's brows furrowed in confusion. "What's croquet?"

Carlos shrugged. "No clue, but I'm sure someone'll tell us."

Jay nodded and turned back to Alia and her parents. "Well, I'd better get going." he said awkwardly. "It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you, too." Jasmine told him warmly.

Jay hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm really sorry about everything my father did."

Aladdin smiled sadly and Jasmine's eyes softened.

"You don't need to apologize, Jay." Aladdin told him.

"That all happened long before you were born." Jasmine added. "And you're not your father. You're your own person. Remember that."

Jay nodded and smiled at them before following Carlos.

Alia bit her lip, turning to look up at her parents. "Thank you."

"Alia, we meant what we said." Aladdin assured his daughter. "We don't blame him for what Jafar did. And he doesn't seem to be anything like Jafar. And you're a good judge of character. If you can trust him, that's good enough for me."

Alia smiled, her shoulders slumping in relief. "Thanks, Dad." Changing the subject, she continued, "Is Papa here?"

"No, he couldn't make it. Something about a vacation to Notre Dame with Maurice." Jasmine explained, mentioning Queen Belle's father, Maurice.

"Ooh, I don't suppose he could send me a care package with some of Notre Dame's croissants?" Alia asked, partially teasing, but partially serious. The croissants from Notre Dame's bakeries were to die for.

Jasmine and Aladdin laughed. "I'm sure I could call him and suggest it." Jasmine assured her daughter.

Letting Abu move up to perch on her shoulder, Alia lead her parents off the decorated school lawn and down a set of ornate stone stairs to an open stretch of grass set lower than the rest of the grounds. There were small tents and tables of food around the edges of the space, but most of it was open and a few games of croquet were in play.

"There's my favorite goddaughter."

Alia laughed as Genie hugged her. "I'm your only goddaughter. And you just saw me a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah, but the palace is too quiet without you and Jordan around to cause mayhem."

"I beg your pardon." Alia mocked. "I'm a perfectly well-behaved princess. I would never cause _mayhem_."

She couldn't even keep a straight face saying it, and Genie was smirking at her.

"Sure." he agreed sarcastically.

People were socializing all over the lawn. Alia saw Carlos running around and playing with Dude to distract the little dog from stealing someone's croquet ball. Ben appeared to be teaching Jay to play croquet, and as usual, Jay seemed to be a natural. He was winning. Mal was watching the game and waiting for her turn. Evie appeared to be having a pleasant conversation with Queen Belle, admiring her bracelet.

"Who's the boy playing croquet with Prince Ben?" Genie asked curiously, his large, blue arms crossed casually over his chest as he surveyed the grounds. "He looks very familiar."

Alia exchanged a glance with Jordan, who'd joined her dad and Alia's parents.

"That's Jay." Alia answered casually. She was almost as worried about Genie meeting Jay as she was about her parents. After all, while Jafar had done many evil things to her family, he'd done equally-horrible things to Genie.

"Ah. Jafar's son." Genie noted, nodding his head. Alia's eyes widened slightly.

"How did you-"

"Well, it's fairly obvious." Genie told her, looking down at her. "I've never seen him before, he's obviously new, he's Arabian, and everyone knows about Prince Ben's proclamation to bring four villain kids here. Put it all together and it's pretty easy to guess."

"He's nothing like his father." Alia told Genie firmly.

"Well, obviously." Genie rolled his eyes at her. "Jafar didn't seem like the croquet type. Maybe chess."

Alia couldn't help but laugh.

 _"You?!"_ a very loud, terrified voice drew everyone's attention from their conversations and activities. Alia looked over and felt her heart fly into her throat. Queen Leah, Sleeping Beauty's mother, was standing with Audrey and facing Mal.

"H-how are you here?" Queen Leah asked, looking Mal over as if she were a ghost. "And how have you stayed so young?"

Several people approached the two, including Ben, who wrapped his arm supportively around Mal. Chad and Fairy Godmother came around Audrey's grandmother while Jay, Evie, and Carlos came around Mal and Ben.

"Queen Leah, it's okay. Maleficent is still on the Island. This is her daughter Mal. Don't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

"A chance to what, Ben? _Destroy_ us?" Queen Leah asked. Turning to face Fairy Godmother, she continued, "Come on, you remember, don't you? The poison apples." Turning again, she looked at Queen Belle and King Beast. "And the spells?"

Belle and Beast both looked down uncomfortably, and Alia couldn't help thinking that was an unnecessary jab.

"The spells." Queen Leah continued, looking at Mal once again. "My _daughter_ was raised by fairies. Because of your mother's curse. So her first words, her first steps…I. Missed. It. _All_!"

Overcome with emotion, Queen Leah turned to Fairy Godmother and was saying something too low for Alia to hear. But she did hear Mal speak as she stepped forward, her hand outstretched in an attempt to console the woman. "I'm so sor-"

"No, hey, hey!" Chad stepped in between them, shielding Queen Leah from Mal. "Stay away from her."

"Don't do this, Chad." Ben ordered sternly.

"What?" Chad asked incredulously. "They were raised by their parents, Ben. What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness? Fair play? No way, okay? Uh uh." Turning to Mal, Chad stated, " _You_ stole another girl's boyfriend."

"Hey!" Ben protested, but Chad put his hands up and stepped to the side so he could point at Jay, who was standing just behind Mal and Ben.

" _You_ enjoy hurting people."

Alia's mouth fell open and her eyes flew to Jay's face, which had fallen at the comment.

"And _you_." Chad continued to Evie, who looked at him guardedly. Jay also lifted his eyes and watched Chad angrily. "You're nothing but a gold-digger and a cheater."

Finished with his verbal lashing, Chad turned and smirked smugly over his shoulder to Doug and Lonnie, who both looked uncomfortable.

Evie stepped forward, holding up a small, handheld mirror. "Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who's the biggest _jerk_ in the land?" She thrust the mirror forward so it was in Chad's face. Since Alia was stood almost at Jay and Evie's backs, she couldn't see what appeared in the mirror, but it was fairly easy to guess. Especially given Chad's reaction.

"What?" Chad exclaimed, smacking Evie's hand out of his face and making her stumble. "Come on!"

Jay instinctively rushed forward, grabbing Chad by the collar of his pale blue suit.

"Back off, Chad! Alright, back off!" Jay shouted. Ben, Audrey, and Doug all stepped in to try and break up the fight, and Evie pulled something blue out of her purse and sprayed Chad in the face with it.

Ben shoved Jay back while Chad fell to the ground, Audrey calling his name worriedly. Lonnie leaned over him while Doug tried to wake him up. Evie stepped back and grabbed Mal's hand, pulling her away from the scene.

Alia hadn't realized she'd been watching the whole scene frozen in shock. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes seemed fixed on Jay. As if feeling her gaze on him, Jay looked over and met her eyes. She could see the burning anger, making his eyes almost black, and his jaw was clenched.

"Jay!" Mal called. Jay dragged his gaze from Alia's and ran after his friends.

"Well, that was eventful." Genie commented casually. "Much more entertaining than last year's Family Day."

"None of that was their fault." Alia couldn't help saying.

"Well, of course it wasn't." her father agreed.

"That's not fair! You can't-wait, did you just agree with me?" Alia asked, completely shocked.

"Is it so surprising?" Aladdin chuckled. "The girl-Mal, right?-she didn't start that fight. Queen Leah got upset, which I can't completely blame her for. But if anyone's to blame for that little incident, it's Cinderella's son, Chad. He was going on about how villain kids act like villains, but I think he should take a good long look in the mirror. If anyone there was acting like a villain, it was him. He treated those kids the same way lots of people-especially royalty-used to treat me."

Alia smiled gratefully. "Thank you." Glancing around, she added, "I'm going to go check on them really quick. I'll see you in a little bit." Passing Abu over to her father, Alia hurried off in the direction she'd seen Jay and the others go. She ran as fast as she could, given she was never comfortable in heels, even if they were only an inch.

She finally found them by the picnic area of the school grounds, all four approaching a group of empty blue picnic tables.

"Guys!" she called, hurrying after them. "Jay!"

Jay stopped first and the others slowed to a stop, too, but Jay was the only one who didn't look back at her as they waited.

"What?" Jay asked lowly as Alia approached him from behind. He still refused to look at her, and it made Alia's frown deepen. Moving around him, she looked up at him and saw that he was avoiding looking at her.

"I'm sorry." she said simply, looking around at all four of them.

They all looked surprised, and Jay's head snapped up. She met his eyes and saw confusion and hope, which he tried to hide.

"For what?" Mal snapped.

"You didn't do anything back there." Evie added softly.

"No, but maybe I should have." Alia told them. "You guys didn't deserve any of that. Especially what Chad was saying. He doesn't know squat, and he's not as charming as he'd like to believe."

"Yeah, but he got what he wanted. Everyone saw us attack the _charming prince_ and it just confirmed everyone's belief that we're just like our parents." Jay pointed out bitterly. "Changed your parents' opinion of me pretty quick."

"What makes you say that?" Alia asked.

Jay scoffed, meeting her eyes again. "You really have to ask?"

"Yes, because my dad flat out said that if any of you were acting like villains, it was Chad. His opinion of you hasn't changed in the slightest."

Jay stared at her, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth, but seemed unable to find anything to say, so he just closed it again.

"So,…are you guys okay?" she asked gently, looking once more at the other three kids.

"Yeah, we're fine." Mal answered simply, but Alia got the sense she was lying.

"You should get back to your parents." Jay told her quietly. "I'm sure they want to spend time with you before they leave."

Alia smiled sadly up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you in class tomorrow." Jay assured her with a grin, which Alia could tell was fake.

"I'll hold you to that." she told him. "And if you skip class tomorrow, I'll storm your room."


	15. Chapter 15

Alia sighed tiredly, entering her dorm room and closing the door behind her. The room was dark and empty, given the sun was setting and Lonnie was probably still out with her parents or other friends. Alia's own parents and Genie had just left for the airport, needing to get home to Agrabah because Aladdin had a meeting with a representative from Wonderland early the next morning.

Slouching her shoulders, Alia approached her bed, spun on her heel, and flopped down onto the mattress on her back.

A loud squeak sounded near her ear and something moved beneath her back, causing her to scream and leap up from her bed. Spinning around, Alia found herself staring down at a familiar brown monkey in a vest and fez, blinking big eyes up at her.

"Abu!" she exclaimed in shock. "What are you-how-Mom and Dad already left!" she stuttered.

Abu beamed happily up at her, but Alia was far from happy.

"You little stinker!" she shouted, pointing a finger at him. "Ugh, now I have to call Dad." she groaned, pulling her phone from a pocket and scanning her contacts. She found her dad's number easily and hit call, glaring down at Abu, who was still sitting on her bed.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Dad. I don't suppose you're still in Auradon City?" Alia asked hopefully.

 _"Uh, no, we're already on the plane. Why? What's wrong?"_ Aladdin asked.

"Um, well, do you think you may have forgotten something?" Alia asked innocently.

There was silence for about five seconds before Alia heard the rush of air suggesting her dad had just sighed. _"Tell me he didn't."_ Aladdin practically begged.

"Yep. Abu is currently sitting on my bed." Alia informed him, looking down at Abu again.

Aladdin sighed again. _"I suppose…I could come get him tomorrow, but it wouldn't be until late…"_

Alia sighed. "Dad, relax. You and Mom will be back on Friday for the coronation. I can watch Abu until then."

 _"Are you sure? I don't think you're allowed to have a monkey in school."_ he pointed out, partially joking about monkeys in school.

"Yeah, I'll just have to be careful. And if Abu doesn't actually behave, I'll lock him in a kennel." she added the last part sternly, pointing at Abu to make her point. Abu pouted innocently at her in response.

Her dad laughed. _"Good plan. Alright, if you're sure, I'll see you on Friday. If you decide you can't handle Abu for that long, just call me, okay?"_

"Sure thing, Dad." Alia agreed before they said goodbye and hung up. Turning to Abu, she added, "I'm not calling him. But you better behave yourself, understand?" she told him firmly. Abu squeaked in agreement and Alia sighed, looking around her room. She still had some studying to get done before school the next morning. "How about a trip to the library?" she asked Abu.

Getting changed out of her dress, she pulled on yoga pants and an Auradon Prep school sweatshirt. Grabbing some of her books and shoving them into her backpack, she looked down at Abu, who was still sitting on her bed. "Do you want to come?" she asked him. Abu jumped up and bounced on her bed excitedly. "Alright, but you have to _behave_ and be quiet. Got it? I'm not supposed to have a monkey at school." Alia opened her backpack and tilted the top toward Abu, letting the little monkey jump inside. Swinging the backpack onto her back, she left her room and headed for the library.

It was empty, but still open. The library didn't close until eleven o'clock at night, which gave Alia at least a few hours of probably-uninterrupted study time.

Choosing an empty table, she set her backpack in a chair and sat in the chair next to it. Abu peaked out at her as she pulled a book out of the back behind him. She smiled when she saw him pull a strawberry from his vest to eat. Turning back to the book she'd pulled out, she opened it to a specific page and began to read the chapter she'd been assigned.

Abu peaked his big eyes over the side of the backpack, looking around the enormous library curiously. Zeroing in on a certain shelf in the far back corner, he tilted his head slightly.

Glancing up at Alia, he saw that she was completely distracted by her reading, her cheek resting on her fist offering some shield of her view of him. Slowly, Abu climbed out of the backpack on the side of it Alia wouldn't see. Pausing on the ground behind the chair, he peaked up at her one more time before scampering off across the library.

Reaching the shelf he'd noticed, he climbed up a few levels and looked down the isle. It appeared to be filled with hundreds of newspapers. Glancing back once to ensure Alia hadn't noticed his disappearance, Abu swung himself down the long bookshelf, pausing occasionally to pull out a newspaper at random. He skimmed the paper before tossing it carelessly to the ground below. He did this a few more times before he paused, staring at a newspaper he'd just grabbed.

The picture on the front of the paper was one he'd never seen, but recognized. It was a black and white photo. It showed Aladdin, in his Sultan clothes, standing on a balcony with his hand up in a wave. Next to him stood Jasmine, holding two babies in her arms. In the very bottom corner, Abu could make out the tiny spattering of hundreds of people in a crowd below. He remembered this day. It was the day the twins were born and were announced to Agrabah and all of Auradon.

Abu glanced up and around. He rolled up the paper and held it with his prehensile tail before moving a few inches down the isle. He searched quickly, throwing a few random newspapers to the ground, before finding one and pulling it out to look.

His eyes gleamed at the sight of the photo on the front cover. He added this paper to the one already held in his tail before climbing up until he reached the very top of the shelf.

Scanning the expansive room, his eyes landed on another labeled section a few rows down. It read, "Birth Records". Grinning, he bounced his way over a few shelves until he reached the section he'd spotted. Scurrying down the shelf, he saw that the row was organized by year. Moving down the row, he stopped when he found the folder labeled 1999. Holding that in one hand, he climbed back up to the top of the shelf again. He glanced around once more, ensuring Alia was still distracted and that no one was around, before swinging from the ceiling until he swung right out the library doors.

Jay sighed, his hand behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He wanted the day of the coronation to just arrive already, but they had almost a week to wait and he just knew it would drag on.

A quick series of knocks on the dorm room door dragged him from his thoughts. Glancing across the room to where Carlos was on his own bed with Dude, he saw his own curiosity reflected in his friend's eyes. Sitting up, Jay scooted to the edge of his bed and got up, approaching the door across the large dorm room.

He pulled it open and lurched back when something swung toward his face. A small, brown monkey bounced off Jay's head. Whipping around, Jay saw Abu, Aladdin's monkey, land on the round, wooden table in the middle of their dorm room. He was chittering quickly, spinning around and looking up at Jay while he waved his little hands around. In one hand he was holding a pale blue folder and had a couple rolled up newspapers wrapped in his tail.

Dude let out a quick bark, sitting up on Carlos' bed. Carlos also sat up, eyeing Abu with wide, curious eyes.

"Uuuhh…Isn't that Aladdin's monkey?" Carlos asked uncertainly. "Why is he here?"

"I have no idea." Jay admitted, glancing over at his friend before looking back down at the monkey. "Um, Abu?" The monkey stopped babbling for a moment and looked up at Jay. "You're Aladdin's monkey, right? We met at Family Day?" Abu made a sound similar to "Uh huh". "Are you…lost?" Jay asked uncertainly. "Are you looking for Alia?"

Abu blew a raspberry at Jay, jumping forward and swatting at the boy with the folder he was holding.

"Ah! Ow! Okay, okay! What?" Jay exclaimed, holding up his hands to block the folder.

Abu said a few more words, which Jay still didn't understand, before handing him two newspapers and the folder.

Jay looked between the three objects in confusion, unsure about what was happening.

"What is all of that?" Carlos asked, having slowly approached from his bed.

"I'm not sure." Jay answered uncertainly. He caught a glimpse of the photo on the front cover of one of the newspapers and put the other two things on the table. Holding the paper up, he looked at the picture.

It was one of Aladdin and Jasmine. Aladdin appeared to be waving to a crowd of people from a balcony, dressed in formal Sultan robes. Next to him stood Jasmine holding two babies, one in each arm.

"What…?" Jay mumbled, searching for the article that the photo went with before skimming it. _"A desperate search started early this morning, February 12, after the apparent kidnapping of Aladdin and Jasmine's son. As you all remember, the famous Sultan and Sultana gave birth to their twins, Jason and Alia, only a few weeks ago. However, Aladdin has called for an Auradon-wide search for his son, Jason, who was stolen from the twins' bedroom in the Agrabah palace…"_

"Alia has a twin?" Carlos asked, shocked.

"I-I didn't know she did." Jay stuttered. "I mean, she's never mentioned having a twin. I've only ever seen her hanging out with Jordan and Lonnie."

"So, where's Jason?" Carlos asked. "I've never met a Jason here."

"Me neither. Do think that means they never found him?" Jay asked. Despite his villain roots, he couldn't help a clenching in his gut. To lose a baby, and a twin. Part of him wanted to go check on Alia, even though this happened when she was just a tiny baby.

"What's this other stuff?" Carlos asked, already picking up the other newspaper. His eyes widened as he looked at the photo on the front cover. "Check this out!" he exclaimed, practically shoving the newspaper into Jay's face. Jay dropped the other newspaper and grabbed the one Carlos gave him.

The photo on the front cover took up most of the page, and despite it's grainy, black and white appearance, and the long distance the photographer must have been from the figure in the photo, it was fairly easy to tell who the person was.

Jafar.

The photo showed Jafar, wearing worn, tattered robes and carrying a big, bulky bag. He appeared to be getting off a boat full of guards and climbing onto the familiar docks of the Isle of the Lost.

Looking above the photo, Jay read the headline of the article.

' _ **LAST OF THE VILLAINS IMPRISONED ON THE ISLE OF THE LOST'**_

"What?" Jay breathed, shocked.

"Read the article." Carlos demanded, trying once again to read over his friend's shoulder.

 _"It's taken four years, but finally, the last villain, Jafar, has been found, captured, and sent to the Isle of the Lost."_

"Wait a sec-four years?" Carlos interrupted. "When was this article published?"

"Uh," Jay searched the page, "February 16, 1999...wait, that can't be right." Jay realized, his brow furrowing in confusion. "The barrier was created twenty years ago. That would be-"

"1995." Carlos answered, grabbing the paper from Jay again to look at it. "The quality of this picture sucks. Hold on, let me pull up the website for this newspaper. Maybe they've got a better quality photo online."

Jay nodded distractedly as Carlos hurried to his bed. His mind was whirling. If that article was right, then his father had been arrested four years after the barrier was created. That would mean-

"When was that published again?" Jay asked quickly.

"February '99. Why?" Carlos asked distractedly, sitting on the edge of his large bed with his laptop on his lap.

Jay suddenly found it hard to breathe, grabbing hold of the back of a chair to support himself. He didn't even notice the small monkey scampering up his arm and resting on his shoulder.

"I was born in Auradon?" he breathed.

"What?" Carlos' head snapped up.

"My birthday is less than a month _before_ my dad was arrested." Jay explained, looking up to meet Carlos' wide, brown eyes.

Carlos' eyes widened even more before he looked back down at his laptop screen, typing something quickly. After a few moments, he stilled and appeared to be searching the screen, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Finally, his eyes went wide.

"Check this out." he ordered, jumping up and carrying his laptop across the room again. He set it on the table and turned it to face Jay as he moved to stand next to him. "This is the same picture." he told Jay, pointing at the photo on the screen. This version of the photo was in color and much clearer than the copy in the paper.

"Obviously." Jay scoffed, leaning down a bit to get a better look.

"But look." Carlos added. He leaned down and used his finger on the pad to move the arrow on the screen. He made the image zoom in on the worn, red bag Jafar was carrying onto the docks of the Isle.

"What am I looking at?" Jay asked tiredly, running a hand through his long hair. All this thinking was giving him a headache.

"This!" Carlos exclaimed impatiently, pointing at a little, funny-shaped edge near the top corner of the bag. Jay just figured it was a decoration on the bag or some kind of treasure Jafar had managed to smuggle onto the Isle. But after Carlos zoomed in a few more times, Jay's eyes narrowed and then went wide.

"Is that…a hand?" he asked incredulously.

"A baby's hand, judging by the size." Carlos explained with a nod.

Jay scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Typical. My dad smuggled me onto the Isle in a bag. Sounds about right." Looking over at his shoulder, where Abu was perched, he added, "Is there a reason you needed to show me this? I already know my dad's a jerk."

Abu smacked Jay on the forehead with the folder he was once again holding.

Jay grabbed the folder and yanked it from the monkey's hands, glaring at him. "You seriously need to stop hitting me."

Abu squeaked excitedly, pointing at the folder.

"What is that?" Carlos asked, eyeing the folder curiously now. Given all the information the newspaper articles had given them, he could only imagine what that folder would tell them. Of course, he had no idea what all this new information had to do with each other.

Jay looked curiously down at the folder, turning it around in his hands. It was pale blue and unmarked apart from a small, white tab at the top labeled "1999". Curious, Jay flipped it open.

The top of the first page said, "Birth Records". Skimming the page, Jay realized pretty quickly what this was. It was a chart of sorts, sorted by date. The first column had names, the second column appeared to be the parents, the third was the date, and the last had the time of birth.

"What do birth records have to do with any of this?" Carlos asked curiously.

"I don't…" Jay trailed off. His eyes had been skimming down the names until they found Alia's name. Finding Alia's name, it was impossible not to see Jason's right above hers, and Jay couldn't help looking over both of their birth information.

Jason: born to Aladdin and Jasmine; Jan. 21, 1999; 2:14 PM

Alia: born to Aladdin and Jasmine; Jan. 21, 1999; 2:18 PM

Jay's mouth fell open. He'd temporarily forgotten that he and Alia shared a birthday. But now, that small bit of information seemed to make everything fall together like a puzzle.

It couldn't be possible though, right? It was absurd.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Carlos told him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Could I be Aladdin and Jasmine's son?" Jay asked, already feeling stupid for even thinking it.

"What?!" Carlos laughed. "That's-"

"I was born the same day." Jay pointed out, shoving the file in Carlos' face. "I was born January 21, just like her. What are the odds that her twin is kidnapped, never found, Jafar is captured days later, with a baby, and I have the same birthday as Alia? What are the odds, Carlos? Even our names, Jay and Jason…"

Carlos stared down at the birth records, his mouth hanging open.

"That's…oh my God. It could really be…" Carlos dragged his eyes from the file up to Jay's face. "Do you really think…?"

"What could be a better revenge for Jafar to take against Aladdin than stealing his kid?" Jay asked rhetorically. "It's crazy, but it fits. Right?"

"I guess…but how can we know for sure?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know, you're the nerd. You tell me."

Carlos tapped the paper to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, the obvious answer is a DNA test. But where could we get that done? We probably don't want very many people knowing about this until we know anything for certain."

"Right." Jay agreed. "And we probably shouldn't say anything to Alia yet. Not until we know for sure. This whole thing is still insane."

"Okay. But we'd need a sample to compare your DNA to." Carlos pointed out. "So maybe next time you see her you can get a strand of her hair, or-"

A series of sharp knocks rapped on their door, causing them to go silent and look towards the door. They remained silent for a moment before someone's whispered voice called through the door.

"Jay? Are you up? Please answer the door."

"Alia." Jay mumbled, glancing nervously over at Carlos. Carlos shrugged and gestured to the door, silently telling him it was his decision.

Bracing himself, Jay approached the door and opened it a crack. Alia's worried expression met his eyes.

"Have you seen Abu? I can't find him anywhere." she whispered desperately.

"Um, yeah, actually, he's in here." Jay admitted.

"Seriously?" Alia gaped at him. "I've been looking for him everywhere. Ooh, I'm going to wring his scrawny neck!" she whisper-shouted.

Jay heard a quiet "Uh oh" from inside and couldn't help grinning slightly as he opened the door for Alia to enter. While he closed the door behind her, Alia's eyes landed on the small monkey.

"Abu-" she started angrily, but Abu threw one of the newspapers at her before scurrying over to Jay and climbing up to snuggle up to Jay's neck, under his long hair.

Alia snorted, looking both amused and annoyed. "I see someone has a new best friend." she noted, bending down to pick up the newspaper. She stilled, getting a look at the photo on the front cover after she'd straightened. "Um…why do you have this?" she asked slowly, sounding unsure of what to think as she turned the newspaper for Jay to see. It was the one about Jason's kidnapping, with the photo of Alia's parents on the front.

"Um…" Jay scratched the back of his neck on the side Abu wasn't on. "It's not what it looks like." he assured her. "Abu brought that in here."

Alia's eyes switched over to look at Abu before looking back at Jay. "Any idea why?"

Jay turned his head to look down at Abu, who was looking up at him with a puppy-eyed expression. Sighing, he turned back to Alia.

"I think he knew something that he wanted us to know." Jay admitted. Moving just past Alia, he picked up the other newspaper and the folder of birth records before passing them to her. Alia struggled to take all three, but she managed and looked between the two newspapers. He watched and waited silently, seeing if she would figure anything out on her own. He saw the inklings of an idea as her narrowed eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

"You said you were born on the Isle," Alia stated, looking up at Jay, "but according to this article, Jafar was sent to the Isle almost a month _after_ you were born."

Jay nodded once. "Yep. I didn't know that until a few minutes ago. I suppose he never flat out said that I was born on the Isle, but I just assumed I was."

Alia nodded slowly, and Jay could see the wheels turning as she looked back down at the articles. Then, she looked up at Abu on his shoulder.

"Are you trying to tell us something?" she asked him quietly.

"Uh huh." Abu nodded and started pointing at the folder she had yet to look at.

Alia set the newspapers on the table before opening the folder. She hardly scanned down the page for a second before slamming the folder closed again, her eyes squeezed shut in a pained expression.

"You already knew, didn't you?" Jay guessed. It was more of a statement than a question.

Alia opened her eyes and looked up at him. There was pain and anxiety clear in her brown eyes. Brown eyes that Jay had always found familiar. And now, he was starting to know why.

"I didn't know for sure." she whispered, looking down at the closed folder. "But I considered it when I went home for the weekend. I saw a baby picture of Jason back home and realized…you have the same eyes. It sounds completely insane-"

"Completely." Jay agreed.

"But it's possible, right?" she asked, sounding worried. "I mean, to some extent, it makes sense, right?"

"Yeah. I was just telling Carlos it would be the perfect revenge for Jafar to take on Aladdin. And Jafar was captured only a few days after…after it happened." Jay pointed out carefully.

Alia nodded slowly, raising her eyes to meet Jay's. They both searched each other's eyes carefully, easily reading each other's emotions even as they tried to hide them.

Jay was wary, conflicted, and curious.

Alia was anxious, worried, and hopeful.

"So,…what do we do now?" Alia asked carefully. Despite wanting to know these answers instantly, she wanted it to be Jay's decision.

Jay glanced over at Carlos, who had moved back to his own bed even though he was subtly listening to their conversation.

"DNA test?" Jay suggested, looking back at Alia.

Alia nodded slowly. "Yeah, that would be good."

"Do you know where we could have that done?" Jay asked curiously.

Alia thought about it for a moment. "Well,…we could check with the school nurse." she suggested. "If nothing else, they could tell us where to go to get one done. Do you want to meet there sometime tomorrow?"

Jay nodded instantly. "Yeah. Before class? I don't think I'd be able to focus if we wait until after school." he admitted.

"Me either." Alia agreed with a smile. "Do you want to meet at the nurse's office at…7:30?" she suggested with a shrug.

"How about you meet me at my dorm at 7:30." Jay suggested instead before adding sheepishly, "I don't know where the nurse's office is."

"How do you not know where the nurse is?" Alia asked in amusement. "Most Tourney players would've been to the nurse's at least few times by now."

Carlos nodded emphatically.

"I usually just _put_ guys in the nurse's office." Jay joked with a smirk.

Alia rolled her eyes. "Fair enough. Okay, so, your dorm at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Deal?"

Jay took her hand, which she'd offered to shake. "Deal. And if I'm not already out here, knock on the door; if I don't answer, come in and smack me with a pillow."

Alia laughed. "You got it." Alia set the papers and folder back on the table before turning to Jay and looking at Abu still perched on his shoulder. "Okay, Abu, you did your job. Should we go back to my room now?"

"Nuh uh." Abu shook his head and wrapped his arms around Jay's neck.

"Abu." Alia scolded, putting her hands on her hips.

"He could stay." Jay offered carefully. Alia's eyes widened at him. "If that's okay with you." he added quickly.

"Are you sure?" she checked carefully.

"We should be fine, as long as he doesn't bite, and as long as him and Dude get along." Jay admitted with a shrug.

"Okay. If you're sure." Alia agreed slowly, glancing over at Carlos in case he disagreed. "Alright, well, I'll get out of here. See you tomorrow morning."

Jay grinned at her as he held the door open for her. "See you tomorrow morning."

 **XXX**

 **Yay! We're finally getting somewhere!**

 **Please review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter! Isn't Abu adorable?**


	16. Chapter 16

Alia was awake before Lonnie. She quickly dressed in a simple outfit of a light purple v-neck with a simple line art drawing of a gold magic lamp across her chest, white denim shorts, and white sneakers. She left her dorm room at 7:25 and arrived at Jay and Carlos' dorm right on time. She was surprised to find Jay already waiting for her in the hallway, leaning his shoulder on the wall next to his door.

"Surprised I'm actually awake?" Jay guessed, smirking at her.

"Just a bit." Alia admitted, smirking in return. "Did Abu keep you up all night?" she asked teasingly.

Abu suddenly popped his head out of Jay's black backpack and peaked over the boy's shoulder, blowing a raspberry at Alia.

Alia gaped slightly as she laughed. "Well, I guess Abu really does have a new best friend." she joked, referring to her comment the night before.

"He behaved pretty well." Jay assured her, standing up straight and looking over his shoulder at the little monkey in his backpack. "Slept on my pillow. I didn't mind it."

Alia smothered a smile, nodding slowly. "Okay, well, as long as he stays in your backpack. We don't need a repeat of what happened last night; we'd both get in trouble if Abu wandered off. I can just imagine Audrey screeching if she found him in her jewelry box or something." she joked, rolling her eyes.

Jay laughed as they both started walking down the hallway. "And the downside to that would be…?" he joked.

Alia looked up, pretending to think really hard for a few seconds. Jay laughed and Alia broke her pretending to laugh, too. "Well, as amusing as it would be at first, the backlash in the long run would suck."

"I suppose so." Jay agreed with a heavy sigh.

They left the dormitory and crossed the lawn to the main building of the campus, where Alia took the lead to the nurse's office.

It was a simple, wooden door just next to Fairy Godmother's office near the entrance to the school, a small sign labeled:

"Nurse's office:

Nurse Jocelyn Sweet"

Alia exchanged a glance with Jay before stepping forward. She knocked on the door a few times. After a moment, a woman's voice called, "Come in!"

Turning the doorknob, Alia pushed the door open and lead Jay into the room.

The nurse's office was fairly large. Her main desk was off to the right side. There was a private area in the far right corner, probably where she did checkups on people without other students being nosy. And there was a small room with beds on the left side of the room, probably for students who were sick or hurt.

"Good morning." the nurse, who was sitting at her desk, greeted them. She was a middle-aged woman with dark skin, black hair, and hazel eyes. She glanced up at them from where she appeared to be sorting out someone's medicine. "How can I help you both this morning?"

"Um,…" Alia glanced over at Jay, unsure of what to say. They hadn't discussed how they were going to bring this up. Taking a deep breath, Alia fell back on all her teachings as a princess to choose her wording. "Well, we'd like to ask something, but we also insist on our right to privacy. Whatever is said or discovered in this room can't be revealed to anyone without our consent."

The nurse eyed her for a moment, her lips tugging up slightly in amusement. "I wouldn't expect anything less." she assured them. "After all, there is such a thing as Doctor-Patient Confidentiality. I'd face a pretty serious lawsuit if I revealed private details of my patients' lives. Not to mention, that's just common courtesy." Standing up, the nurse offered her hand for them to shake, revealing that she was taller than them and slender. "I'm Nurse Jocelyn Sweet. It's nice to meet you both."

Alia shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Alia."

"Jay." Jay introduced himself, shaking the nurse's hand as well.

"Now, what can I do for you two this morning?" Nurse Sweet asked, standing up straight and surveying them from across her desk.

"Well," Alia exchanged a glance with Jay before meeting the nurse's eyes, "we were wondering if you could help us with a DNA test? Or if you knew where we could have one done?"

Nurse Sweet glanced between the pair for a moment. "A DNA test. Between the pair of you?"

Both teens nodded silently.

"Well, we could do that here easily. There's two ways we could go about it. The obvious one would be to take a sample of both your DNA and ship it out to be tested. But the results could take anywhere between a couple days to a couple weeks. However, there is a quicker, easier way we could do it." she admitted.

Alia and Jay exchanged a glance; clearly both wanted to go with the quick way. Just waiting for morning had nearly driven them both insane.

"What's the quick way?" Alia asked warily.

Nurse Sweet grinned. "I'm glad you asked."

With that, she walked around her desk and gestured the two just a couple feet to the side. Sitting against the wall behind her desk was a medium-sized red box. Nurse Sweet passed behind the two teens and pinched Jay's arm.

"Ow!" Jay exclaimed, rubbing his arm and glaring at the woman.

Alia, on the other hand, stared at the box.

There was a quiet beep, the white circle on the box blinked, then the top fell back and a large, white marshmallow-like thing inflated.

Alia and Jay gaped at it, not sure what it was or what was happening.

The…whatever it was had a small, oval-shaped head with two black dots that looked like eyes. It's body was like a giant, white, oval-shaped balloon. It's arms were thick and hung almost to it's legs with sausage-sized fingers. Finally, it's legs were short and pudgy with hardly any space between them.

Alia glanced at the nurse for some kind of explanation, but Nurse Sweet was merely smiling between them and the white thing in amusement.

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Alia turned back to the white thing. It had looked down at it's feet before carefully stepping out of it's little red box, which she guessed was a charging station of some kind. It looked back up at them before walking toward them. It had a cute sort of waddle to it's walk that made Alia's lips twitch up in a tiny smile.

It stopped a couple feet in front of them and lifted one pudgy hand in a small wave.

"Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion." it greeted them in a voice that sounded both robotic and friendly. "I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said 'ow'."

Alia and Jay gaped at 'Baymax' for a few moments.

"Uh, what exactly is this thing?" Jay finally asked, glancing over at the nurse, who was smirking slightly at the pair of them.

"This is a Baymax unit. They're pretty new. The first one was invented by a college student named Tadashi Hamada a couple years ago. After he died, his younger brother, Hiro, had a bunch of them made and sold to hospitals all over. We just got our unit here for the school a few months ago."

Alia and Jay both nodded, looking back at Baymax.

"Baymax, these two would like to have a DNA test and comparison done. Could you do that for us?" Nurse Sweet asked.

"Of course." Baymax answered, turning back to Jay and Alia. "I will scan you now." Baymax looked down and back up at Jay. Then, he turned to Alia and did the same. "Scan complete."

He looked down and a rectangular screen showed up on his chest. On one side was the figure of a person who looked like a guy, the name Jay above the head. Another figure, this one a woman, was on the other side with Alia's name above the head. Two DNA strands showed up next to the figures. The DNA strands moved towards the middle until they overlapped, then they vanished and a big '50%' showed up in their place.

"There is a 50% match between your DNA." Baymax announced. "This means that you are siblings. According to your birth dates and ages, which are the same, you are fraternal twins."

Alia nodded slightly, feeling herself going into shock.

"So, it's true?" Jay asked, sounding like Alia felt. She looked up at him to see the conflict in his expression. "We're twins?"

"Yes, you are fraternal twins." Baymax answered. "Your heart rate has increased. Would you like me to scan you to ensure you are not having a heart attack?"

Nurse Sweet cleared her throat. "I don't think that will be necessary, Baymax, but thank you." Turning to Alia and Jay, she added quietly, "In order for him to powder down, you have to say you're satisfied with your care."

Alia cleared her throat before turning to Baymax. "Thank you, Baymax. We're satisfied with our care."

Baymax turned to go back to his red charging station, but Alia didn't pay any attention to that. She turned and stared up at Jay, who looked back down at her. They weren't sure what to think or say at the moment.

"I take it neither of you knew about that." Nurse Sweet stated, looking cautiously between the two teens.

They both shook their heads. Finally, Alia shook her head slightly to clear it and think straight.

"Um, we'll leave you to your work. Thank you again for helping us." she told the nurse sincerely.

"It's no problem at all. And don't worry. I won't say a word to anyone. I promise." Nurse Sweet assured them, smiling warmly at them.

Jay and Alia both repeated their thanks, turning to leave the room. When the door clicked shut behind them, they paused and stood blankly in the hallway.

Alia glanced around until she found a clock on the wall nearby. It was almost ten minutes short of eight o'clock. Class would be starting soon. Suddenly, Alia didn't want to go to class.

Turning abruptly to Jay, she said, "Wanna skip class?"

Jay blinked and stared down at her. "Seriously? People skip class in Auradon?"

"Not typically." Alia admitted. "But I don't think I could focus in class after that. Maybe we could…hang out? Try and talk all this out and wrap our heads around it?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."

They headed back outside and headed toward a secluded part of the school grounds. Alia lead the way to a large oak tree, turning and sitting back against the thick trunk. The grass was damp with dew, which chilled her bare legs, so she pulled them up almost to her chest, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach. Jay swung his backpack around to drop it on the grass before he sat down next to her, their arms pressed together. He was sitting in a similar position with his legs bent up and his arms rested on his knees.

They sat in silence for several minutes, both just trying to come to terms with what they'd just discovered.

"What do you think?" Alia finally asked, still staring straight ahead.

Jay sighed heavily, dropping his head back against the tree. "I don't even know where to begin." he admitted. "Everything I've ever known has been a lie. I mean,…I've had a twin sister all this time and never had any idea."

"Yeah." Alia agreed quietly. "I mean, I've always known what was missing, but I never physically felt it until I met you. Then it was like whenever you weren't around I felt like half of me was missing. Sorry," she chuckled, looking down, "that sounded super cheesy."

"Just a bit." Jay agreed with a small grin, glancing over at her. "But accurate." He was silent for a moment before he sighed heavily. "I don't even…My dad…Jafar isn't my dad. I just can't…wrap my head around that."

"Aladdin and Jasmine are your parents." Alia whispered, her head turned to look up at him.

Jay swallowed thickly, his jaw clenching as he contemplated that fact. Alia almost felt certain she could read his emotions on his face as if he were a book.

"You're mad." she whispered. It was true, she could see anger in his eyes, as well as confusion and fear.

"Why didn't they…If I was kidnapped, wouldn't Jafar have been the most obvious suspect? How did they not find me before Jafar was placed on the Isle? How could they let him onto the Isle with me?" Jay asked, thinking out loud more than actually asking.

"I don't know." Alia admitted. "Whatever happened all those years ago, my parents have missed you more than you can ever imagine. I think a small part of my mom hoped we'd find you again one day. Even talking about you was hard for her. And my dad, I think he felt like a failure for letting you get taken away."

Jay swallowed thickly again, his eyes fixed on the grass a few feet in front of him. Alia hesitantly leaned her head over on his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't pull away.

"Maybe…when you feel up to it, you could ask them? We could tell them and talk everything out. My parents already liked you as a person when you guys met at Family Day, and when they find out, they'll love you."

A lump formed in Jay's throat, making it impossible for him to swallow again. Love? Villains didn't love. They scoffed at love. His father-no, _Jafar-_ had never loved him or showed him any kind of affection. Jafar considered him useless until he realized Jay had a knack for stealing. Then, he took complete advantage of that.

But to have someone love him just for being himself? To love him unconditionally despite all his flaws and mistakes? He never would've thought that would be something he'd want. But he did. After spending this time in Auradon, he really did want a family. People to care about him and love him for who he was, flaws and all. He couldn't say it out loud, but he already saw Mal, Evie, and Carlos as family. But to have a real family; a twin sister, a mom, and a dad…it actually sounded _nice_.

They sat in silence for a while, both just taking the time to wrap their heads around what they'd discovered, and figuring out how to handle it.

When people started coming out of the school for lunch around noon, Jay and Alia finally decided to talk again.

"How do you want to handle this?" Jay asked quietly.

Alia lifted her head from Jay's shoulder, sitting up straight again.

"Well,…we should probably tell my… _our_ parents before we tell very many other people. Well, you'll probably tell Carlos, since he was there last night when we mentioned it." Alia commented. "But we should tell our parents before it becomes school gossip."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Jay agreed.

"They'll be back in town for the Coronation." Alia announced. "Maybe we could meet for lunch or something after the coronation before they go home, and we can tell them then. Does that sound good?"

Jay agreed, knowing that wouldn't happen. Their plan to steal the wand would be complete that day. Him, Mal, Evie, and Carlos would steal Fairy Godmother's wand, free the villains from the Isle of the Lost, and then everything good and beautiful would be destroyed, and all it's people imprisoned.

Jay turned and looked down at Alia, who was tearing a strand of grass into little pieces and letting them fall to her lap. He never would've thought he'd actually care about someone from Auradon, but he did. Even before he knew of their connection, he cared about her. She'd gone out of her way to understand him, despite who he was. How could he go through with this plan, knowing something horrible would happen to her? Especially if Jafar ever got his hands on her. But did he really have a choice?

For once, Jay didn't know what to do. He was stuck choosing between what was right and what was wrong.

 **XXX**

 **Review and let me know what you all thought if this chapter, and Jay's thoughts on everything! Also, who liked the little appearance by Baymax from Big Hero 6? He's so adorable!**

 **Lastly, who can guess who Nurse Jocelyn Sweet's Disney parent is?**


	17. Chapter 17

That night, Mal and Evie met up with the boys in their dorm. Jay was lounging on his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared up toward the ceiling. His dark eyes were distractedly watching Abu swing from the lights, curtains, the blue and yellow banner, and back again.

"What's with the monkey?" Mal asked before sitting at the table in the middle of the room.

"His name's Abu." Jay answered simply. After hanging out with Alia all day, ditching class and just talking about things, she'd given Jay the option of watching Abu again or having the little monkey return to Alia's dorm with her for the night. Jay offered to keep him for the night again, having grown attached to him. Also, though he wouldn't admit it, Abu was like a connection to his family, the family he'd only recently discovered, and would never get to know.

"Lovely name." Mal stated sarcastically. "But what's he doing here?"

"Isn't that the name of Aladdin's monkey?" Evie asked cautiously, glancing between Jay and the monkey swinging above him.

"Yep."

"That's not the same monkey, is it?" Mal asked incredulously, pointing up at the monkey with her eyes fixed on Jay. His eyes remained fixed upward as he nodded silently. " _Why_ is he here?" she demanded, completely confused. Evie felt the same, but she just watched Jay with concern. It wasn't like Jay to be so quiet. She also noticed Carlos, who was sitting up in his own bed, kept casting curious and concerned glances toward his best friend.

Jay sighed heavily before pulling himself up into a sitting position. Abu immediately dropped down onto Jay's shoulder, looking perfectly content.

"I've got something to tell you guys." Jay admitted quietly.

Carlos leaned forward instinctively, his eyes fixed on his best friend's face as he waited for something the girls apparently weren't privy to.

Jay thought for a moment, before deciding to just say it.

"I'm not Jafar's son."

There was absolute silence for about three seconds.

"Don't be ridiculous." Mal finally stated firmly. "Of course you are." There was absolutely no way Jay wasn't Jafar's son. That was simply impossible.

"No, I'm not." Jay stated. "Apparently, I was born in Auradon. When I was a few weeks old someone, probably Jafar, broke into my bedroom and kidnapped me. A few weeks after that, Jafar was captured and placed on the Isle, with me."

"That makes no sense." Mal denied, shaking her head. "The Isle was created years before we were born."

"But they hadn't rounded up all the villains yet." Carlos spoke up. "One of those newspapers on the table will be about Jafar being the last villain to be captured." he told them, pointing at the pile of papers on the table. "It took them four years to capture Jafar."

Mal picked up the newspaper, staring at it in shock. "But…how-?"

"Do you know who your real parents are, then?" Evie asked gently.

Jay nodded slowly, unsure how his friends would take the news.

"Aladdin and Jasmine." he admitted.

Mal and Evie stared at him in shock, unable to find any words for a long time.

"So,…the DNA test?" Carlos urged quietly. "The results?"

Jay nodded. "It was a 50% match. Me and Alia are twins." When he saw Mal and Evie's mouths drop even more, he added, "There's another article on the table about Aladdin and Jasmine having twins. The boy, Jason, was kidnapped a few weeks after they were born. I'm Jason; me and Alia are twins."

"Only 50%?" Carlos asked. "If you're twins, wouldn't it be more than just 50%?" Carlos was used to knowing things, but he'd never had a reason or chance to extensively study twins. The only twins he knew about growing up were Gaston's sons, Gaston Jr. and Gaston the third; and he avoided them like the plague.

"Not if they're fraternal." Evie explained. "Identical twins would share much more DNA, because they start out as the same egg, which splits in the mother's womb. But fraternal twins start as two separate fertilized eggs, so they share no more DNA than regular siblings."

"Great. That's fantastic." Mal snapped sarcastically, smacking the newspaper onto the table as she stood up. "So, what are you going to do now?" she demanded of Jay, looking at him with eyes that almost glowed poison green.

"Do?" Jay asked uneasily.

"I suppose you're just going to switch sides now? Join your new mommy and daddy? Foil all the plans we worked so hard on the past few weeks?" Mal ranted angrily.

Evie and Carlos exchanged a nervous glance before turning to wait for Jay's response.

"I never planned on switching sides." Jay snapped angrily.

"But you were born a _prince_." Mal sneered. "Surely you'll jump at the chance to toss us back on the Isle so you can claim your thrown."

"I'm _not_ going to switch sides." Jay snapped, getting up from his bed. Abu ducked down on Jay's back, hiding under his curtain of dark hair. "Aladdin and Jasmine may have given birth to me, but that's not who I am. I'm a villain, just like you guys. I was raised Jafar's son; a villain. Nothing's going to change that."

"Not even Alia?" Mal challenged, tilting her chin up and narrowing her eyes at him. She'd noticed how close the two had gotten. Everyone had noticed.

Jay swallowed, looking down at his feet as he fought down the guilt. "I know what I have to do." he finally answered quietly. "We came here to steal Fairy Godmother's wand; to release the villains from the Isle of the Lost. And that's what we'll do."

"But, what about Jafar?" Evie asked hesitantly. "When we release the villains, you know what he'll do. He'll go after Alia. And he won't feel any loyalty towards you, now that you know he's not really your father. If you asked him to spare her, he won't listen."

Jay narrowed his eyes angrily, though it wasn't directed at Evie.

"We may be releasing the villains, but Jafar _will not_ get away with what he's done. And I won't let him lay a hand on Alia."

 **XXX**

 **To those of you who guessed that the Nurse from the last chapter was the daughter of Joshua Sweet from** _ **Atlantis**_ **, you were correct! That move is awesome!**

 **Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and I hope you all like the rest of this story. There are about five chapters left.**


	18. Chapter 18

"Mom! Dad!" Alia hugged her parents tightly after entering the Auradon Cathedral dressed in her purple and cream coronation gown.

The cathedral was already packed, with crowds of people mingling around the large Coronation Hall. Families greeting each other, friends catching up. And in the very middle of the room was the raised dais where Fairy Godmother's wand sat under King Beast's spell jar.

"So, how was your week?" Jasmine asked her daughter. She was wearing a loose, sea green dress with lace sleeves and a gold headband in her hair. Aladdin was wearing his usual Sultan attire to show his status.

"It was…fine." Alia finally answered, unsure how to respond. It had been a long, weird, eventful week, but she wasn't sure how to explain that without telling her parents about Jay.

"Oh look, there's Lonnie and her parents. Do you want to go say hi?" Aladdin asked. Alia followed his gaze toward the wall. Sure enough, Lonnie was there with her parents, Mulan and Shang, and her brother Li'l Shang. They were in a large group talking with Audrey and Chad's families. Audrey, of course, was twirling her dress for her parents and grandmother.

Alia, however, grimaced at the thought of talking to her best friend. "I'd rather not." she answered.

Her and Lonnie had gotten into a fight the day before, and Alia wasn't quite ready to make amends. The argument had started with Lonnie asking why Alia was spending so much time with Jay. And then Alia had asked why Lonnie was so quick to turn on the villain kids when she was normally so warm and friendly to everyone. Basically, things had been said, feelings were hurt, and the two weren't quite ready to forgive yet.

"Is everything okay with you two?" Jasmine asked worriedly.

"Yeah,…we just argued about something and I'm not quite ready to talk yet." Alia admitted. "Hey, there's Rapunzel and Eugene. Let's go talk to them." she suggested, hoping to change the subject. Luckily, her parents agreed and they spoke with Queen Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene, and their daughters Ruby and Anxelin.

Alia and the two sisters compared and complimented dresses and talked briefly about classes. Ruby, who took after her mom with the long, golden blonde hair, had a very large braided bun on top of her head.

They were interrupted by a man in a bright yellow suit calling over the din of voices. "May I have your attention, please!" Everyone fell silent and turned to look at him. "Prince Ben will be arriving shortly, so will you all please find your places so we may begin shortly."

Alia and her parents wished Rapunzel and Eugene's family a good day before moving through the crowd to find their spots. As they moved into their spots a few rows from the front, Alia could hear trumpets playing just outside the cathedral's large front doors, announcing the future King's arrival.

It was a few minutes, but King Beast and Queen Belle entered and sat on throwns on either side of the wand. Then, the sound of children singing filled the cathedral, echoing beautifully off the stone walls. Alia looked up and over her shoulder, easily finding the children's choir singing up on the balcony, the stained glass picture of Belle and Beast dancing shining down on them. There were a few rows of people in gowns and suits standing in front of the choir.

Evie's bright blue gown and pale shoulders stood out against the people behind her, so that was the first thing Alia noticed. But then her eyes shifted to the side to see Jay dressed in a dark red leather suit, his dark hair pulled into a bun. She also noticed Carlos was holding Dude in his arms.

The loud creak of doors opening made Alia face forward again, looking back down the isle of blue carpet. Two men in yellow suits pulled the wooden double doors open so Ben could enter, wearing a blue suit.

Several of the older guests 'aw'ed at the sight of him, probably all thinking how big he'd grown. Alia smirked slightly and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Beast stood from his seat and offered his wife a hand to help her stand, as well.

Everyone bowed or curtsied as Ben walked past, staring determinedly ahead. When he passed Alia and her family, Alia lightly took the skirt of her dress in her hands as she curtsied, bowing her head to the future King. Her mother did the same on one side of her while her dad, standing on her other side, bowed at the waist. They all stood up straight again as Ben continued down the isle.

As Ben reached the first step of the dais, Fairy Godmother appeared atop the dais from the other side. She greeted Queen Belle with a hug and curtsied to King Beast, who then bowed his head so the much-shorter fairy could carefully take his crown from his head.

Ben kneeled on the steps as Fairy Godmother moved to stand in front of him, holding his father's crown, which she then lowered onto his own head.

Fairy Godmother stepped to the side as Beast took the spell jar off the wand. Then, Belle carefully lifted the famous wand from it's stand, passing it from the tips of her fingers to Fairy Godmother, who again moved to stand before Ben.

A sudden queasy feeling bubbled up in Alia's stomach, making her grimace and shift her feet. She suddenly realized she felt anxious and nauseous. Instinctively, she glanced up and over her shoulder toward the balcony.

Getting a closer look at Jay, she realized he looked upset about something. No, more than upset…he looked anxious, nervous. His lips were pressed in a thin line. Both hands were gripping the banister in front of him until his knuckles turned white. When she glanced at Evie and Carlos, Alia realized they all looked upset, just in their own ways.

Just then, Jay met Alia's eyes for less than a second before they dropped to his hands. He couldn't even meet her eyes, and she knew then that something wasn't right.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy, as long as you shall reign?" Fairy Godmother's voice dragged Alia's eyes back forward to where Ben was kneeling before her. But this was no longer a happy event. She knew something was going to happen.

"I do solemnly swear." Ben answered easily.

"Then it is my honor," she continued, lightly tapping the wand to either of Ben's shoulders, "and my joy to bless our new king."

The wand was suddenly snatched from Fairy Godmother's hand, causing hundreds of gasps to fill the room.

Alia's hand flew to her mouth on instinct as she saw Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, struggling with the wand. But it appeared to be too powerful for her as light shot from the wand and through the roof. Everyone cowered into each other at the show of power.

"Child, what are you doing?!" Fairy Godmother demanded.

"If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Jane shouted in response, the wand's power jerking in every direction. Belle and Fairy Godmother both hid behind Beast, while Ben hurried across the room to stand in front of Mal, who was the only person who hadn't cowered back.

The wand continued to spark and flash as Jane tried and failed to make it work, causing people to scream and cower even more. Suddenly, Mal bolted out from behind Ben and wrestled the wand from Jane's hand. As soon as the wand was firmly in Mal's grasp, it stopped flashing and sparking.

Jane looked around, horrified by the turn of events, while Mal held the wand firmly aloft in both hands.

Alia wanted to feel relieved, but there was a different kind of tension in the room, now that the wand was in the hands of Maleficent's daughter. And that queasy, anxious feeling in her stomach was even worse, causing her to glance up toward the balcony.

Alia's stomach dropped when she saw that Jay, Evie, and Carlos were hurrying off the balcony.

"Mal?"

Alia turned forward again to see that Ben had moved forward to stand in front of Mal. Jane had vanished into the crowd.

"Give me the wand." Ben told Mal calmly, his hand held toward her in a calming gesture.

"Stand back."

The doors burst open as Jay, Evie, and Carlos came running down the isle.

"It's okay."

"Ben, I said STAND BACK!" Mal screamed.

"I told you so." Audrey declared, stepping out of the crowd. Mal instantly turned and pointed the wand at her, causing people to gasp and pull Audrey back into the crowd.

The other three reached Mal as she pointed the wand at Ben again.

"Let's go." Carlos told her.

"Revenge time." Jay added tensely.

Alia felt sick. She'd felt like something was bothering Jay all week, but was he really going to go through with this?

"You really want to do this?" Ben asked Mal.

"We have no choice, Ben! Our parents-"

"Your parents made their choice. Now you make yours." Ben told her simply.

Mal was silent for several seconds, but Alia was more focused on Jay.

Moving carefully away from her parents, Alia nudged her way through a couple people until she stood at the front of the cowering people. The movement caused Jay to glance her way.

Their eyes met, and no words were necessary. In that one glance, he knew that she was pleading with him not to go through with this. In that one glance, she knew he didn't really want to go through with it. He wanted to be good.

"I think I want to be good." Mal's quiet voice broke Jay and Alia's staring contest and they both looked at the purple-haired girl.

"You are good." Ben insisted.

"How do you know that?!" Mal demanded, on the verge of hysterics.

"Because…because I'm listening to my heart." Ben answered.

It was silent as everyone waited anxiously for Mal's answer.

"I want to listen to my heart, too." Mal finally said quietly. She looked up and held Ben's eyes for a few moments. "And my heart is telling me that we are _not_ our parents." she continued, turning to face her friends with teary eyes. She looked at Jay first. "I mean, stealing things doesn't make you happy." she pointed out. "Hanging out with Alia, playing tourney, and eating victory pizza with the team makes you happy."

Jay and Carlos exchanged grins while someone in the back cheered. Jay glanced the other way and met Alia's eyes again. Alia was already grinning in return. She could see the change. He wasn't as tense, his smile was warm. He was full of hope that everything would be alright.

Mal turned to Carlos next. "And you, scratching Dude's belly makes you happy, who would've thought?" she said with a giggle. Carlos grinned in return.

Mal finally turned to Evie, who was already tearing up. "And Evie. You do not have to play dumb to get a guy. You are _so_ smart. And I don't want to take over the world with evil." Mal added. "It doesn't make me happy." She thought for a moment. "I want to go to school." she said as if it was unbelievable. "And be with Ben. Because Ben makes me really happy." she added, turning around and holding up a hand to show Ben's ring on her index finger.

"Us being friends makes me really happy." Mal continued, turning back around to face her friends. "Not destroying things. I choose good, you guys."

She held out her fist, and her friends all looked down at it. Everyone watched in silence.

Jay glanced briefly at Alia with a grin before putting his fist to Mal's. "I choose good, too."

"I choose good." Evie added, putting her own fist to theirs.

"So, just to be clear," Carlos spoke up, causing his friends to look at him, "we don't have to be worried about how _really mad_ our parents are going to be?"

Jay rolled his eyes with a grin while Mal and Evie laughed.

"Because they're going to be really, really mad!" Carlos added, laughing along with his friends.

"Your parents can't reach you here." Ben assured him.

The laughter quieted as the four former villain kids took in that statement. Alia couldn't read what the other three were thinking, but she knew what went through Jay's mind. She could vividly remember the scars on Jay's back. Wounds that Jafar had inflicted on him. She doubted the other villains were much kinder to their kids. It was probably hitting Carlos, Evie, and Mal that they would never have to go through that kind of pain again.

Carlos finally smiled. "Okay then." He stepped forward and pushed his fist against Jay, Evie, and Mal's. "Good."

While Mal looked over her shoulder at Ben, Jay looked over at Alia again. She returned his grin, thrilled to see that his eyes were light once again, his smile real. Then, he jerked his head, silently telling her to join them. Hesitating for only a moment, Alia left the crowd, moved up next to her brother, and placed her fist against Jay's and Mal's at the same moment Ben put his fist against Mal and Evie's.

The crowd burst into applause. Alia smiled, looking up at Jay, who was smiling wider than she'd ever seen him. He looked perfectly at ease. He met her eyes and bumped his shoulder into her back. Everything was finally starting to go right.

A loud crash interrupted the moment, causing everyone to gasp and cower, turning to watch as a long poison-green cloud swirled into the cathedral. It twisted around a pillar before landing on the blue carpeted isle between the group of teenagers and the dais.

The smoke cleared, revealing a terrifying figure that filled Auradon's history books and nightmares.

"I'm BAAACK!" Maleficent cried, holding her scepter aloft in one hand.

Alia stumbled as Jay suddenly stepped in front of her, pushing her behind him with one arm. She glanced anxiously at him before staring fearfully at Maleficent. Everyone in the crowd had their gazes fixed on the Mistress of Evil, too scared to move.

"Go away, Mother." Mal stated, sounding annoyed and almost bored. Was she not scared of her mother?

Maleficent laughed. "She's funny." She continued to laugh, even _snorting_. "You're very funny. Here." she said to her daughter, suddenly serious again. "Wand me. Chop chop."

"No!" Ben yelled.

Mal seemed to fake her mother out, starting to hand the wand over, before tossing it to Fairy Godmother, who stood on top of the dais.

With a slashing figure eight motion, Fairy Godmother waved the wand. "Bippity, boppity-"

"Boo." Maleficent sneered before everything froze.

It felt like Alia merely blinked and suddenly everything was different. The bright sunlight filling the cathedral had replaced the dreary gloom. Jay, Carlos, Mal, and Evie were all standing in front of her like before, but Maleficent had vanished and Fairy Godmother stood in her place, holding her wand.

Ben and Beast roared and Mal had to calm her boyfriend down when he rushed toward them.

Alia looked around before meeting Jay's eyes when he looked back at her.

"What just happened?" Alia demanded curiously when her twin approached her.

"Oh, you know, just saving Auradon, one evil dragon mistress at a time." Jay joked with a shrug.

"I will be demanding a play-by-play at another time, got it?" Alia ordered, pointing a finger in his face.

"Got it." Jay chuckled before his eyes strayed over her shoulder. His grin faltered only slightly. Following his gaze, she saw her parents, grandfather, Jordan, and Genie standing a few feet away, watching the two curiously.

Sighing heavily, Alia turned back to Jay. "They're probably jumping to awkward, inappropriate conclusions about us right now."

Jay grimaced slightly in disgust. "Most of Auradon probably is, to be honest."

"True. Should we tell them…tomorrow before they leave?" she suggested.

Jay nodded, looking hesitant. "I suppose so."

"They'll love you, Jay." Alia assured him gently. "They always have."

Jay smiled slightly. "Guess I still have to get used to the whole parents loving their kids thing."

Alia smiled sadly before tugging on his jacket sleeve and heading toward her family.

"Mom, Dad, Genie; you all remember Jay, right?" Alia said when they reached their family.

"Of course we do." Jasmine said, smiling warmly between the pair. "It's nice to see you again, Jay."

"Yeah, you and your friends did a good job today." Aladdin agreed.

"Thank you." Jay said with a smile.

"Papa, this is Jay. Jay, this is my grandfather. Mom's dad." Alia introduced Jay to the short, fat man with the white beard. Only Jay and Alia could hear the subtle hint in her introduction. She was introducing her twin to his grandfather.

"It's nice to meet you." Jay told him, offering his hand.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, as well, young man. My daughter spoke highly of you after Family Day, which I unfortunately missed. Did you get those croissants I mailed you from Notre Dame?" he asked his granddaughter.

"Yes, Papa, thank you. They were delicious. I shared some with Jay."

"One. You shared one." Jay deadpanned. "And it was delicious." he added quickly, not wanting to sound ungrateful.

Aladdin chuckled. "Yes, Alia's not great at sharing her favorite foods." he joked.

"Not true!" Alia protested. "I shared the box of chocolate you gave me with Jay."

They all laughed, Jay feeling some of the tension leaving his shoulders at the ease this family put him in.

Glancing at Jay, Alia got back on track. "Anyway, do you guys want to meet tomorrow before you go home? Maybe lunch or something?"

"That sounds good." her mom agreed. "Anywhere in particular?"

"How about the Mad for Tea Café? It's just down the road from the school." Alia suggested.

"Oh, I remember that place. We went there for lunch after Alia's freshman orientation, remember?" Jasmine prompted her husband.

"Oh, of course. Right, how about we meet there around 11:00 tomorrow for lunch?" Aladdin asked the group as a whole.

"Can Jay come?" Alia asked, knowing it would almost be pointless if Jay wasn't allowed.

Aladdin exchanged a glance with Jasmine and Genie before smiling at Jay and Alia. "Of course. You're more than welcome to come."

"Thank you." Jay breathed with a smile.

"Well, they're about to start Ben's after party." Jordan cut in. "So, we'll see you all tomorrow for lunch."

With that, Jordan grabbed both Alia and Jay by an arm and dragged them back toward the other teenagers.

 **XXX**

 **Well, the coronation scene wasn't too unique, so I apologize for that. Hope you all liked it anyway. Review and let me know! And I hope you're all excited for the next chapter! There's about four chapters left.**


	19. Chapter 19

"I can't believe you danced with _Audrey_!" Alia exclaimed, grimacing in disgust as she lead Jay into the Mad for Tea café. They'd been talking about Ben's coronation after party on the walk over.

"Hey, she may be a completely spoiled snob, but she's hot." Jay defended with a chuckle.

"That's just gross." Alia told him, wrinkling her nose and looking at him over her shoulder.

Jay chuckled some more. "Relax. Nothing will come of it. She's hot, but that's basically all she's got going for her. And _she_ came onto _me_ , I'd like to add."

"I suppose." Alia sighed before looking around the small café. It was a simple set up. The building walls were aged brick, but windows and a glass door took up most of the front wall. On the front door was a picture of the Mad Hatter's hat. The other windows had stained glass pictures of a pocket watch, a tea cup, and the sign reading 'Mad for Tea'. There were casual, mismatched tables and couches and chairs all around the room. Closest to the door was a large, round coffee table surrounded by a couch, chairs, and stools; all sitting on a large rug that looked like a playing card. There were Wonderland-related decorations all over the café. On shelves above a fireplace were decorative mushrooms, flowerpots, and teapots. The Cheshire Cat's smile hung on the wall. The clock hanging from the ceiling was decorated to look like the White Rabbit's pocket watch.

Alia approached the blue antique-looking couch by the front window and sat on it. Jay sat next to her on the couch.

"Hello." a teenage girl with blonde hair with pale blue highlights greeted them in a British accent. "Can I get you anything?"

"Hey, Ally." Alia greeted her with a smile. Ally was the daughter of Alice, and looked a lot like her mother. "Um, we'll have a pot of tea and…some sandwiches for right now. We have other people coming, so we might order more later."

"Of course. I'll bring that straightaway." Ally told her jovially before hurrying off.

Jay chuckled. "She's…interesting."

"Yeah. I've got a class with her. Interesting is a good word for her." Alia agreed. "So, I saw Carlos dancing with Jane last night." she said, getting back to their previous conversation.

Jay chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I had to instigate that. There was no way Carlos would have the guts to do it himself. While we're on that topic, I saw you dance with quite a few guys."

Alia blushed and shoved his shoulder. "Oh, shut up. Just 'cause I danced with someone, doesn't mean I like them."

"Then why are you making such a big deal out of me dancing with Audrey?" Jay teased.

"Because it's _Audrey_. She doesn't dance with anyone without good reason."

"Well, I saw you dancing with Herkie last night." Jay pointed out, naming Hercules' son, who he knew from the tourney team.

"Oh, for crying out loud. I danced with him for all of ten seconds. Last night was crazy. Everyone was dancing with everyone. I also danced with Tanner and Harold. That doesn't mean I'm dating any of them." she pointed out, naming the son of Naveen and Tiana, and the nephew of Merida.

Jay shrugged with a playful smirk. "Whatever you say." Then, his smile faltered as he took on a thoughtful look. "Is that supposed to bother me? You dancing with guys?"

Alia eyed him curiously. "Why? _Does_ it bother you?"

Jay narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "I don't know. Maybe a little bit. I mean, Herkie's freakishly strong and doesn't know his strength all the time. He could hurt you without meaning to. And I don't know those other two."

Alia grinned. "Aw, look at you. Being a protective brother." she cooed playfully, reaching over to pinch his cheek. Jay swatted her hand away, grinning in amusement.

"Shut up. It feels weird. Caring about someone else." he admitted.

Alia tilted her head, but waited a few moments to speak, because Ally dropped off their tea and food before leaving. After pouring herself some tea and mixing some sugar in it, Alia sat back against the couch with her teacup nestled in her palms.

"Did you never care about anyone on the Isle? Like, you didn't care about anyone at all?" she asked, feeling that was hard to believe.

Jay shrugged uncomfortably as he made his own tea. He would add a spoonful of sugar before sipping from the mug experimentally, and then adding another spoonful of sugar. He ended up only being content with his drink after about five spoonfuls.

"Well," he sighed, sitting with his elbows on his knees, "it's different back on the Isle. You really _can't_ care about anyone over there. If you care about people, you're considered weak."

"Not even your friends?" Alia asked, both curious and concerned.

Jay grimaced. "That's tricky. I mean, Mal, Evie, and Carlos are my best friends _now_ , but…you don't have friends on the Isle. It's more…you have gangs, sidekicks, even partners, but not friends. You can't let yourself care about anyone over there. If people think you're weak, they make your life unbearable. Only the strong survive."

"So, were you, Mal, Evie, and Carlos a gang?" Alia asked, finding herself more and more curious.

"Basically, yeah." Jay admitted. "We ran most of the Isle. Mal was the leader, though I was loath to admit it. I was the muscle. Carlos was our little nerd, kinda the brains behind everything. And Evie was the newest member. She was 'castle-schooled' for a while because Maleficent banished her and the Evil Queen to the far side of the island for a long time. And Mal hated Evie with a passion."

" _Mal_ hated _Evie_?" Alia repeated in shock. "But they're practically sisters!"

"They are now." Jay agreed with a small grin. "They weren't at first, but that's their story. You'll have to ask them."

Alia nodded in agreement. She wouldn't expect Jay to betray his friends' trust. Then, she noticed he looked thoughtful again. She stretched to bump her knee to his, causing him to look over at her. "What's up?"

Jay looked thoughtful for a few more moments, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I always thought it was weird, the way I saw you. I flirted with you when we first met, like I do any girl, but it felt weird and I eventually stopped. Now, I know it's because you're my sister. That's just wrong." he added with a disgusted expression, making Alia laugh. "I always thought it was a first time thing. I mean, I've always flirted around with girls. But now that I think about it, it's the same with Mal and Evie. I mean, I flirted with Evie at first, sure, but now…the thought of flirting with her almost feels the same as if I flirted with you. And Mal, I've never really flirted with her. I saw her as an equal and figured out pretty early on that she wouldn't fall for my charms."

Alia snorted slightly at his last statement before looking at him thoughtfully. "Maybe you see them as sisters now, too. I mean, after everything you've all been through together, you're basically a family."

Jay nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Alia smiled and opened her mouth to say something else when her eyes caught movement outside the window. Her eyes widened.

"Shoot! They're here and we didn't talk about how we're going to tell them." she whispered frantically, sitting up so she could lean closer to her brother. Jay glanced quickly over his shoulder to see that Aladdin, Jasmine, Jasmine's dad, Genie, and Jordan were all just approaching the front door of the café.

Before Jay could suggest anything, the door opened and the group filed into the café, instantly spotting the two and approaching them.

"You know, you could've waited for me." Jordan told them, sitting on the couch on Jay's other side. "We could've walked together, but no, you left me to walk here all by myself like a loser."

"Well, if you'd hurry up and pass your carpet driver's license, we'd all have got a ride here." Alia teased, smirking slightly. Jordan stuck her tongue out.

"I'm taking it again this week." Jordan informed her.

"Let's hope the last eleven times taught you something." Alia retorted playfully.

"Alright, you two." Jasmine chuckled.

Everyone took seats around Alia and Jay. Alia's grandfather sat in the large, old English style armchair. Jasmine sat in a smaller, Victorian-style chair, and Aladdin sat in a small bench next to her. Finally, Genie sat in a chair next to Jordan's side of the couch.

"So, did you bring-"

"'Ello!" Abu suddenly popped up out of Jay's bag, which was sitting on the floor by his feet.

Aladdin laughed. "Abu." he finished his question, no longer needing to ask.

"Why is he in Jay's backpack?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Because I've been replaced." Alia retorted, pretending to be upset.

Abu climbed out of the backpack and onto the couch, scurrying up Alia's arm and hugging her neck for a moment before jumping over to Jay's shoulder and hiding under his curtain of long hair. Jay couldn't help grinning while Alia mock-gaped between him and the monkey.

"You see?!" she exclaimed jokingly, pointing at Jay while looking around at her family, who were all laughing or muffling their laughter.

"Alright, get him back in the bag. I'm sure this place has a 'No monkeys' policy." Jasmine joked.

Jay turned and whispered something to Abu, who almost instantly scurried down his arm to return to the backpack.

"Well, you weren't kidding." Genie commented. "Abu has a new best friend."

Everyone laughed again while Ally dropped off some cake and more sandwiches that Jasmine had ordered when they arrived.

"So, how was the after party last night?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Awesome!" Jordan answered instantly. "Lonnie and Li'l Shang did an amazing job with the music and everything. It was so much fun."

"What about you two? Did you have fun?" Aladdin ask, directing the question to Jay and Alia.

"Yeah, it was fun." Alia answered, trying not to think about Jay's teasing about her dancing with multiple guys.

Jay was clearly thinking along the same lines, because he was trying very hard not to smirk.

"Who was it you were dancing with last night?" he asked teasingly, looking over at her. He ignored her narrowed eyes. "Tanner? No, wait-Herkie."

"It was both, actually. And Harold." Jordan put in casually, though the glint in her light blue eyes said she knew exactly what they were doing.

"You both suck." Alia told them.

"Dancing with multiple boys, huh?" Aladdin asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not sure how I feel about my daughter dancing with multiple boys."

"Oh, come on." Alia groaned, slouching against the couch and covering her face with both hands. "You _all_ suck." she groaned.

Jay took pity on her. He bumped his knee against hers. "So, you wanna tell them that thing?" he asked quietly.

Alia sighed, dragging her hands down her face and sitting up slowly. She was now tense for a different reason. She still had no idea how to start this conversation.

"Right." she sighed. "So, there's a reason we wanted to have lunch before you all went home." she continued to the group as a whole. "There's something we need to tell you."

"Gee, wonder what that is." Jordan joked.

"Trust me, Jor." Alia stated seriously. "If you could actually guess what Jay and I have to say, I would be supremely impressed. Because it's basically impossible."

"Well, tell us then." Genie suggested, leaning back with his hands behind his head.

Alia looked over at Jay, still unsure how to start. Jay merely shrugged. After all, Alia knew these people better than he did.

"Um,…well, Jay and I have the same birthday." Alia announced suddenly, looking among her family. They all looked mildly surprised, confused, and curious. "And we went to the school nurse last week and found out our DNA is a 50% match."

At that, everyone's mouths parted slightly in shock. Genie's jaw practically hit the ground.

"We also found out that Jafar was the last villain to be placed on the Isle of the Lost, which happened weeks after we were born." Jay took up the explanation quickly. "We saw in an old photo of Jafar being put on the Isle, he was carrying a bag, and there was a baby's hand sticking out of it. So we're guessing he kidnapped me, then he was captured, and he took me with him onto the Isle."

"Jay is Jason." Alia finished quietly, looking particularly between her mom and dad. They'd both paled slightly and were staring at Jay. Aladdin glanced briefly at his daughter, but Jasmine's eyes were stuck on Jay. On her lost son.

Jay fidgeted uncomfortably under their stares, his eyes glancing around the room as he bounced his knee. Alia could imagine how awkward he must be feeling, so she subtly pressed her upper arm against his. The contact caused his leg to still.

Jasmine slowly stood from her seat, causing everyone to turn and look at her. Her almond-shaped, brown eyes, so similar to Alia's, were fixed on Jay's face. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly as she made her way around the round coffee table.

She passed her father, who was still gaping at Jay, who he now knew was his grandson.

When Jasmine passed in front of Alia, Jay stood up instinctively. He was about a head taller than Jasmine, causing her to tilt her head back slightly to look up at his face. Jay didn't seem to know what to do or how to act. He was looking down at Jasmine anxiously, shifting on his feet and wiping his hands on his pants, probably due to sweat.

Then, Jasmine slowly lifted a hand toward his face. Jay flinched before he could stop himself, and Alia felt a lump form in her throat at the reminder of how Jafar had treated him.

Slowly, Jasmine brushed some hair back from Jay's eyes, her eyes scanning his face. Alia guessed she was looking for-and probably seeing-the similarities between Jay and his parents. He had their father's nose and smile, while his eyes were closer to Jasmine's.

"Jason." Jasmine breathed, her eyes turning glassy with unshed tears. Jay glanced awkwardly down at Alia, probably uncomfortable with an emotional woman. Alia smiled reassuringly at him.

"It's really you." Jasmine continued, her voice wobbling tearfully, "My son. My Jason." With that, Jasmine wrapped her tiny arms around Jay's neck and clung to him, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.

Jay froze for a moment. He wasn't sure what to think of this. He'd never really been hugged before. And he barely knew this person. But…she was his mother. His mom. The woman who loved him, who would've raised him with love and support and kindness if given the chance.

Swallowing the lump that'd formed in his throat, Jay slowly wrapped his arms around Jasmine's tiny frame, one arm going around her shoulders and the other around her lower back. Not wanting people to see how emotional this was making him, he ducked his head slightly, almost burying it in her thick, black hair.

When Jay glanced up again, he realized Aladdin-his father-had stood up and was currently standing just behind his wife, watching the pair. Swallowing nervously, Jay slowly released his mother. Jasmine didn't seem ready to let him go yet, but Aladdin stepped forward and gently took her shoulders in his hands.

Jasmine allowed her husband to pull her back a step, though her teary eyes seemed permanently fixed on Jay's face, as if she feared he would disappear if she looked away. Aladdin squeezed her shoulder briefly before stepping around her.

Aladdin and Jay were of similar height, though Jay had an inch or two on his father. And quite a bit more muscle. Of course, Alia had seen photos of her father when he was her and Jay's age, and he'd had about the same amount of muscle as his son did back then.

Jay and Aladdin stared each other in the eyes. Jay was mildly nervous, but he tried to hide it. He didn't know what to expect from his father.

Aladdin seemed to be searching for something while his face remained unreadable. Then, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed harshly.

"I'm sorry." he finally croaked. "I'm sorry I failed you." he continued when Jay's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. "I should've protected you. I tried for years to find you, but…I failed. People kept telling me to give up, but…you're my son. The guilt and pain of losing you kept me awake almost every night for the last sixteen years. I'm so sorry, Jason."

Jay swallowed yet another lump that'd formed in his throat. He wasn't good with emotions, and he wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't just show how emotional this was making him. Or worse: _cry_.

So, he just nodded quickly. He didn't speak for fear of giving himself away, but one glance at Alia out of the corner of his eye told him she knew how much he was struggling.

Indeed, Alia could see how much her brother was struggling. So, she stood up in the small space between the couch and her parents. She wrapped an arm around her mother and smiled at Jay. He returned it in relief.

"So, now that the mushy stuff has been said, how about we just eat lunch and catch up for a while?" Alia suggested. "We are in public, after all. Don't need to give any lurking paparazzi a photo op."

 **XXX**

 **And the truth is out! Bet you were all excited for this part, huh? So pretty please leave a review to let me know what you all thought! I would** _ **really**_ **appreciate it!**

 **Only a few more chapters left and this story will be wrapped up. That being said, I've been working on a sequel, which would be set during** _ **Descendants 2**_ **. Would any of you read that if I were to post it when this story is done?**


	20. Chapter 20

"Whoa." Jay's eyes widened as he stepped into the royal jet, taking in everything he saw as he followed Jordan and Alia inside.

It was the same jet that Alia and Jordan had taken to Agrabah weeks prior. There were only four seats, two per small table on either side of the narrow isle down the middle of the plane.

"The bathroom's that room in the back, and there's a mini-fridge right there." Alia told him, pointing at a door at the back of the plane, and the small fridge against the wall next to said door. She then dropped her bag carelessly on the floor and plopped down in one of the chairs. Jordan sat at the chair across the isle from Alia, pulling her laptop out of her own bag.

Jay hesitated for a moment before taking the seat across from Alia, setting his own bag on the floor by his chair.

"This is nicer than my house." Jay said quietly.

"Your house?" Alia repeated curiously.

"Well, you know,…back on the Isle." Jay clarified.

"Ah." Alia nodded, also looking around the small cabin of the jet. "Yeah, this one's nice. I actually prefer this jet to our other one."

"Other one?" Jay repeated incredulously. "You have another one?"

" _We_ have another one." Alia corrected. "You're family, remember? This is your jet, too."

Jay blinked and decided to change the subject. "What's the other jet like?"

"It's bigger." Alia explained. "This one obviously only has the four seats," she gestured to the two tables and the seats with them, "the other one is built for more people or more comfortable travel. Dad usually uses this one on business trips, and obviously Jordan and I use it to go back and forth from home and school. But the other one is used if the whole family needs to get somewhere, or if we're traveling overnight. There're couches, beds, and a flat screen TV on the other one."

Jay gaped slightly as he looked around the cabin, trying to imagine a _plane_ bigger and nicer than this one. "Wow." he finally breathed.

Alia suddenly felt spoiled and snobby. He'd just said this jet was nicer than the house he'd grown up in, and then she went and said they had a jet even nicer than this one.

"I'm sorry." she muttered, making Jay look at her again. "I feel really spoiled now…"

Jay grinned reassuringly, guessing easily what she was talking about. "It's not your fault, 'Lia. Jafar took me away from all this, not you." he assured her, easily calling her the nickname their dad and Genie had used a number of times the previous weekend.

After finding out Jay was their son, Aladdin rescheduled all appointments he'd had that weekend so him, Jasmine, and the former Sultan could stay Saturday and Sunday to get to know their son. The whole family bonded and had a good time before Aladdin and Jasmine boarded their jet Sunday evening. Jasmine almost couldn't even bring herself to let her son go, until Jay told her to call him during the week. It was clear Jay was still getting used to being loved by his family, but he also didn't want to fight it, either. So, it was suggested that Jay, Alia, and Jordan return home the following weekend, hence the three boarding the jet Friday afternoon right after classes finished.

"Still…it's not just feeling bad for you. I feel awful that all the kids over there have to grow up like that." Alia explained.

 _"We will be taking off shortly, please fasten your seatbelts."_ a voice announced over the intercom. Jay watched Alia fasten her seatbelt before doing the same, making sure he knew how to do it before he even tried.

A few minutes later, the plane began moving, rolling down the short runway before lifting into the air. Jay turned and couldn't help gaping out the window next to his chair. The ground slowly disappeared from his sight as the plane took off. It rumbled and shook, causing him to instinctively grip the arms of his seat. Eventually, the plane leveled off and flew smoothly.

 _"You are now free to move about the cabin."_ the same voice said over the intercom.

Alia instantly took off her seatbelt and got up. Jay watched her curiously as she moved around her seat and toward the fridge. She opened it and had to lean over to look inside. She looked over at Jay and held up a can of coke silently. He nodded with a grin. She pulled a second one out and returned to her seat, easily tossing one of the cans to her brother.

"Thanks." Jay grinned easily, waiting a bit before popping the tab so it didn't spray him.

"What was your house like over there?" Alia asked curiously after a few moments and sips of pop. "If you don't mind my asking." she added quickly.

Jay took a chug of his pop before sighing and placing it on the table between them.

"Well, it wasn't so much a house as it was a shop." he admitted. "My d-Jafar," he corrected, still getting used to the fact that Jafar _wasn't_ his dad, "owns a junk shop on the Isle. I used to be in charge of stocking his shelves. I'd steal things from people and he'd sell them. We got a kick out of selling people's things back to them without them even realizing it." he added shamefully, finally realizing how horrible he'd been before he came to Auradon.

"And you lived in the shop?" Alia guessed, choosing to overlook what her brother was like back on the Isle. He'd been raised to be that way. He wasn't that person anymore; at least, not completely.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. Jafar never wanted to use his money. He just liked counting it. So instead of buying a decent place to live, we lived in the shop. There's a smaller living area in the back, but it's just a kitchen and sitting room." Jay swallowed another swig of pop and glanced cautiously over at Jordan. She was working on her laptop and had headphones in, the music so loud he could barely hear it from his seat. Sure that it was safe to speak without her hearing, he admitted quietly to his sister, "I slept on the floor of the shop, under an old shelf covered in broken TVs. It's a miracle I never got crushed to death." he tried to joke.

Alia smiled sadly at him, though it was barely more than a twitch of the lips.

"When did you start stealing things for the shop?"

Jay looked up thoughtfully. "I think it started when I was little. Maybe five or six. I was hungry and Jafar never really bothered giving me any food. I quickly learned that if I wanted to eat, I'd have to feed myself. I stole some bread from the marketplace. I never got caught. Over the next few days, I'd steal food for myself, sometimes I'd steal something to get back at someone. Then one day, Jafar caught me. I thought for sure he'd beat me black and blue, but instead…he was pleased. He started instructing me to steal things for his shop. It made him happy, so I did it as much as I could. I thought I could make him proud of me."

Alia watched him closely, seeing the glazed look in his dark eyes as he remembered his childhood.

"If you could say anything to him, what would it be?" she asked quietly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Jay raised his eyes toward the ceiling of the jet. "I don't know." he admitted after a while. "I mean, it's not like I'd have to ask him 'why?'. It's fairly obvious. He kidnapped me for revenge against Aladdin. He raised me to hate my own father."

"So, there's nothing you'd want to tell him?" Alia urged in surprise. "For closure or something?"

Jay shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe I will down the road. But right now, all I can think to tell him is that…He failed. That would piss him off more than anything in the world. He failed. And…I think I hate him. If I could say anything to him now, I'd probably tell him that. Maybe punch him in the face if I saw him in person." He paused for a long moment, and Alia remained quiet because she knew he was contemplating saying something else. He leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees, his pop can in his hands.

"The part of me that's still a villain,…that little voice in my head that tries to make me continue doing what I was raised to,…it wants revenge. Part of me wants revenge." he admitted quietly, raising his eyes to meet Alia's. She could see that thought scared him a little bit. He didn't want to return to his villain roots. He chose good.

Alia chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, contemplating how to respond to that admission.

"If you chose revenge," she started slowly, holding his gaze with her very similar eyes, "you'd be continuing that cycle. Jafar stole you for revenge on Aladdin. If you take revenge on him, you'd be following in his footsteps. In a way, you'd make him win. He raised you, Aladdin's son, as a villain. If you choose revenge, that would mean he succeeds. The best thing you could do, is do the opposite. Be the best person you can be, and he'll have failed."

Jay nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed firmly on hers.

"Thanks."


	21. Chapter 21

Jay remained in awe as the group entered the Agrabah palace. Even after being in Auradon for a month, and seeing the castle-turned-prep school, this was still a shock to him. He'd heard about Agrabah from Jafar his whole life, seen photos of the palace from afar. But nothing compared to seeing it all in person. Especially being _inside_ the palace.

The moment Jay, Alia, and Jordan got off the plane, the first thought in Jay's mind was ' _hot'_. The heat hit him like a tsunami wave the second he stepped out the air-conditioned jet. Then, he saw his parents, grandfather, and Genie waiting by a limo. Next thing he knew, Abu had been racing across the pavement toward him, ending up on Jay's shoulder before Jay's feet even touched the ground. Since then, the little monkey had stayed on Jay's shoulder through the limo ride to the palace.

"You never told me if this place had AC." Jay told Alia as they entered the palace.

"Most of it does." Alia assured him with a slight laugh. "I suggest you either take to wearing your hair in a ponytail, or get a haircut." she told him, her own thick mane of black hair already in a high ponytail.

"No blade is touching my hair." Jay told her in a stern, but joking, voice.

Aladdin and Jasmine chuckled at the sibling's playful banter as they lead them across the entrance hall, where Aladdin's throne sat on the far side of the room. They passed through some curtains and headed down another hallway toward the back of the palace, going up a flight of stairs.

As they neared Alia's bedroom, an orange blur came racing around the corner down the hall. The group stopped as the large, 300 pound tiger came racing across the marble floor. Jay's eyes widened slightly as he took in the creature he had yet to meet in person.

"Raisa!" Alia squealed, opening her arms. Aladdin and Jasmine stepped aside to let the tiger race past them. As she always did, Raisa slowed mere feet from Alia and stood up on her hind legs, wrapping her large front paws around Alia's neck and shoulders in a hug. Alia laughed, wrapping her own tiny arms around the tiger's back and shoulders.

Jay stared in amazement as his sister hugged the enormous animal. Sure, she'd told him about Raisa, and he'd seen photos and even videos of the big cat. But seeing this giant, wild animal hug his sister so gently was something else entirely.

After rubbing her big head along Alia's head and face, completely messing up Alia's ponytail, Raisa dropped heavily down to all fours paws and turned her big, amber eyes on Jay, who couldn't help tensing slightly. Being a tiger, she reminded him vaguely of Shere Khan, the tiger who'd attacked Mowgli many years ago and been imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. Jay only had vague memories of that tiger, given he tended to avoid him.

Raisa stepped slowly towards Jay, her nose stretched out to sniff him curiously.

"Raisa, this is Jay. He's my brother." Alia told her tiger, petting her striped head.

Raisa glanced up at her owner before looking back at Jay. After a few moments, Raisa approached Jay and sniffed his hand. He remained still, waiting to see what she would do.

After a few moments, Raisa seemed to decide she liked Jay, because she rubbed her head against his hand, purring.

Alia covered her mouth to hide her amused smile as Jay hesitantly petted the tiger's head.

"Hopefully you don't replace me as Raisa's favorite now." Alia joked, referring to Abu, who was still clinging to Jay's shoulder.

Jay grinned, becoming more at ease as he scratched Raisa behind her black ear.

"Well, now that that meet-and-greet is over, let's put your things in your rooms." Aladdin decided, heading down the hallway once again.

Jay patted Raisa one last time on the head before following the others, though the tiger decided to stick with the group.

They reached Alia's room first and she tossed her bag onto her bed near the bedroom door before following them down to the next door.

"Here," Aladdin announced, pushing the door open and stepping back, "is your room, Jay."

Jay glanced between his sister and parents curiously before stepping past them and into the room. As soon as he crossed the threshold, his mouth fell open.

The room was large with a marble floor and pillars near the walls, much like Alia's room. His bed, while as large as Alia's, was rectangular with a blue blanket and red pillows. Across the room against the wall, was a comfy-looking red couch on an Agrabah-styled rug. In the middle of the room was an enormous, poofy pillow as big as his bed, probably designed to lounge on. And on the far side of the room were doors that looked like they lead somewhere outside.

Alia stepped into the room beside him and looked around, also seeing it for the first time. "I'm guessing those doors lead out onto the balcony like mine?" she asked.

"Yep. It actually leads out to the same balcony." Aladdin answered as he and his wife followed them into the room.

"Sweet." Alia grinned, looking up at Jay. "That balcony's about as big as this room, so I hope you don't mind sharing it." she teased.

"Mind?" Jay repeated in disbelief, still looking around the room in shock. "This whole room is mine?" he whispered.

"Yes. And we weren't sure what you liked, aside from the colors red and blue, and playing tourney, so you can decorate it however you want. Just let us know." Jasmine told him.

Jay gaped slightly, looking over at his family in amazement.

"This is amazing." he whispered, once again looking around the room.

Alia's smile turned slightly sad as she remember what they'd talked about mere hours before on the plane. How incredible it must be for him, to go from sleeping on the floor under a rickety shelf, to this?

Figuring Jay would like a moment alone to collect himself, she turned to her parents. "When's dinner? I'm starved."

"It should be ready in about half an hour." Aladdin told her. "You two get settled and then come on down, okay?"

Alia and Jay both nodded, though Jay was still a bit dazed. When Aladdin and Jasmine left, Alia turned back to her brother.

"I'll just be in my room. I'll come get you in about fifteen minutes for dinner, or you can come over to my room. Okay?"

Jay smiled at her. "Sure. Thanks, 'Lia."

Jay ended up meeting Magic Carpet at dinner, and Carpet seemed about as enamored with Jay as he had been with Aladdin when they first met.

Saturday morning, Alia woke and dressed in a loose purple tank top and black yoga pants before meeting Jay in the hallway outside their rooms. The evening before, Alia had mentioned her sword-fighting practice, and Jay had been eager to try it out. So they agreed to meet outside their rooms so Alia could show him where she went to practice and workout while at home.

It was a large room with a padded floor and several different kinds of swords and weapons on a rack against the wall. After warming up, Jay insisted on facing Alia in a sword-fighting match.

Jay's natural strength and agility made him a good competitor, and he clearly had at least some experience with a sword. But his technique was rough. Alia, whose skill was honed from years of training and regular practices, beat him fairly quickly. She offered a few pointers and they continued practicing for a good hour before heading to breakfast. Jay learned quickly and could _almost_ beat her by their last match.

Jay plopped down on the raised side of the enormous, round fountain in the back garden of the palace. Alia sat a couple feet over with her legs crossed, facing the fountain and playing with the water with her hand. Raisa was sprawled out on the ground nearby, the sun shining down on her striped pelt.

The back garden was amazing. Jay had seen it from his balcony and wanted to have a better look, so Alia showed him how to get there. The garden was huge with bushes and trees all around the sides and surrounded by walls. The fountain was almost as big as Jay's new bedroom, and there were small gold fish swimming around in it. And nearby was a pen of doves.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Alia asked casually. 'Tomorrow', Sunday, their family would be making the official announcement to all of Auradon that Jay was really Jason, Aladdin and Jasmine's long lost son.

"About as ready as I'll ever be." Jay admitted, watching a small, golden-colored fish swim around. "Monday'll be fun." he added sarcastically. "People will be mentioning it and asking me about it every chance they get."

"Some people might try claiming your lying." Alia warned him, glancing warily at him from the corner of her eye. "Are you ready to handle what some people might say?"

Jay took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't react with anger or violence, like he had at Family Day when Chad insulted him and his friends. Now that he was technically a prince, he needed to learn how to control himself.

"I'll do my best." he swore.

Alia nodded, looking back down at the water. "Well, I've got your back. And so do Carlos, Evie, and Mal. And Lonnie, Jordan, and Ben will, too, if it comes to that. The only people I can see making an issue out of it are Chad and Audrey."

"That's what I was thinking." Jay agreed. "Anyway, what time are we going back to school tomorrow?"

"Hmm. The interview will be at ten, then we'll have lunch with the whole family, and our plane leaves around three tomorrow afternoon."

Jay nodded before catching a glimpse of his sister's expression. Her thick eyebrows were furrowed and she seemed to be staring at the water, lost in thought. Jay tilted his head, his ponytail tipping over his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked in concern.

Alia blinked and looked over at him, her expression clearing. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Something just occurred to me is all."

"What?"

Alia bit her lip for a moment before saying, "Well,…you're older than me by, like, four minutes. Technically speaking, wouldn't that make you next in line for Sultan of Agrabah instead of me?"

Jay opened his mouth, to speak or merely gape he wasn't sure, but then another voice saved him from responding.

"That's actually what we were just about to discuss with you two."

Jay and Alia both turned to see their parents approaching them, both wearing casual clothes. Aladdin was wearing a loose t-shirt and pants while Jasmine was dressed in a green, loose sundress with her hair up.

Jay scooted over, making room for his parents to sit next to him. "You mean she's right?" he asked, completely perplexed.

"Well, yes, it's tradition that the firstborn be the heir to the throne. So, it is your birthright, Jason. We raised Alia to take the throne after you were…after we lost you." Jasmine ended quietly, her voice choking up as she let her gaze drop to her lap. Aladdin wrapped his arm around her in comfort.

Jay swallowed thickly, unsure what to say. "But…Not that I'm not grateful, but…is me being Sultan…a good idea?" he asked uneasily.

"That's what we wanted to discuss with you both." Aladdin admitted, running his hand up and down his wife's arm. "Now, it's not as if we plan on stepping down now and expect you to rule Agrabah by tomorrow or anything like that. We have quite a few years before we plan on retiring. You'd have plenty of time to take any lessons you might need and get acquainted with whatever duties that would fall on you."

"And don't think you have to accept." Jasmine added, recovering from her moment of grief. "If you don't want to, you don't have to. You don't even have to make any decisions right now. You could wait a couple years before you decide. It's completely up to you."

Jay remained silent for a few moments, taking in everything his parents were telling him. He'd have the opportunity to rule Agrabah? Just like Jafar had wanted to do his whole life? Then he asked the first question that he really wanted to know the answer to.

"What about Alia?"

His parents exchanged a perplexed glance, and Jay glanced over at his sister. She didn't look upset, she looked just as interested in their conversation as he was.

"If you chose not to become Sultan, then she would be next in line and would be the next Sultana." Aladdin explained.

"So, it's one or the other?" Jay checked.

Alia rested her hand on his arm, understanding without needing any explanation.

"Mom, Dad, have all the former Sultans and Sultanas been husband and wife?"

Aladdin and Jasmine looked even more confused by this question, but Jay understood immediately and waited eagerly for an answer.

"Well,…as far as I know, yes." Jasmine answered slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well,…could siblings rule together?" Alia suggested carefully. "Like, Jay would be Sultan, and I would be Sultana? Instead of one of us ruling alongside a spouse, or even on our own, we could work together?"

Aladdin smiled warmly between them, glancing at his wife, who returned the look.

"I suppose that could work." Aladdin admitted. "We'd have to work out details, like how we'd decide who'd be next after you both. But the final decision would ultimately fall to you, Jay. As the oldest, like Jasmine said, it's your birthright."

Jay nodded, uncertain on how to handle that kind of decision. What if his villain roots were too strong for him to fight when given that much power? "Can I think about it?"

"Of course." Jasmine insisted, gently grabbing his hand in hers. "And you won't be completely on your own, or thrown into a position you aren't ready for. Alia's been taking classes and lessons on being a ruler since she was little. You'll join her in some of those lessons. And you could both join Aladdin and I in some meetings and things to see what kinds of things we have to handle."

Alia barely muttered, "Yuck," under her breath in reference to her boring lessons, but Jay wasn't feeling as amused. This was all starting to feel very overwhelming. Even if he'd have plenty of time to think about it, many things were being thrown at him, and he wasn't sure if he would ever be ready for what they expected of him.

Aladdin silently studied his son's face for a long moment, taking in the uncertainty and panic clearly written on his face.

"Jay, why don't you come with me?" Aladdin suggested, standing up from the edge of the fountain. "There's something I want to show you."

Jay exchanged a glance with Alia, who shrugged, before standing up and following his father across the garden and back up some steps that lead back into the palace.

The pair walked silently down many hallways, their footsteps echoing on the cold marble floor. Jay wasn't sure where they were going, he just shoved his hands deep into his pants pockets and continuously glanced over at his father, but Aladdin remained silent with his gaze fixed ahead.

Finally, Aladdin lead Jay into an enormous room decorated with the ornate marble floor and pillars typical in the palace. But every wall of the room was decorated with portraits of people. Confused, Jay continued to silently follow his father as they started walking around the room, looking at every portrait.

Every portrait was similar, just showing a different man and woman, both usually with the typical tan skin and black hair, and both dressed like royalty. Every man in every portrait wore clothing similar or identical to Aladdin's Sultan garb, including the turban on their heads.

When they'd walked about halfway around the room, and passed more portraits than Jay would bother to count, they finally came to a portrait of people that seemed somewhat familiar.

The man standing in the portrait was very short and a little plump around the belly. He was wearing the same Sultan robes as many of the others, and a turban with a blue plume of a feather. He had a bushy, chocolate brown beard and thick, brown eyebrows. The woman next to him was obviously sitting, which emphasized his shortness given their heads were about the same level. She looked a lot like Jasmine, her black hair up in a bun and a purple dress leaving her shoulders bare.

"These are Mom's parents?" Jay asked quietly, surprising himself as he glanced at his father.

Aladdin nodded silently, gazing at his wife's mother, whom he never got to meet. Then, he silently looked over at the next portrait, the only one left and the only one Jay had yet to look at.

When he did, Jay instantly recognized who it was, even though he'd already guessed.

Aladdin and Jasmine were much younger in this portrait, only a few years older than Jay currently was. They were both wearing formal wear like all the other portraits before them.

"I never expected to end up here." Aladdin announced, finally ending his silence. "When I made that wish all those years ago to be a prince, I didn't think about what would come after that. I just wanted to have a chance to get Jasmine to fall in love with me, I didn't even consider becoming Sultan. I didn't think I had it in me; some days I still don't."

Jay stared at his father, unsure where this was going, but taking in every word as if it was the answer to everything.

"I was born and raised on the street. Everyone would call me a street rat. That's all I ever was to anyone. And I truly started to believe that. But then, I met Jasmine. She didn't see me like that. Next thing you know, we're married, and I'm Sultan of Agrabah." Aladdin chuckled and glanced over at Jay. "And don't take any offence to being told you need to take lessons on how to be a prince. No one is expecting you to become a completely different person. You should still be yourself. I honestly wish I'd been given classes so I'd actually know what I was doing."

Jay laughed, shaking his head and looking back up at his parents' portrait.

"I just want you to remember one thing, Jay." Aladdin suddenly continued, making Jay look back at him. "If a street rat like me could become Sultan with absolutely no training, you can do the same if your heart's in the right place."

Jay nodded slowly, gazing thoughtfully at the portrait once more and trying to imagine himself in a portrait just like it. Finally, he turned to look back at Aladdin.

"Thanks,…Dad."

 **XXX**

 **One more chapter to go!**

 **Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	22. Chapter 22

Jay sat on his bed Sunday, one leg hanging off the side of the bed while he leaned over his math homework, which he'd put off to the last minute.

There was a brief knock on his bedroom door before it opened and Alia strolled in, followed by Raisa. Jay glanced up at her, watching as she plopped down on the side of his bed and crossed her legs. Then, of course, Raisa carefully climbed onto the bed, as if hesitant if this was allowed. But when Jay said nothing, the tigress settled her weight onto the mattress and curled herself up comfortably on the end of the large bed.

"May I help you?" Jay asked, grinning slightly as he glanced at his sister.

"No, but I might be able to help you." Alia answered, leaning over to look down at his homework. "You forgot to carry the 2 on the last problem."

Jay looked back down at his homework, noticing what she was talking about. Cursing under his breath, he erased the whole problem and started over. "Is it time for lunch?" he asked when he finished it.

"Not yet. You've still got half an hour. You could've left that to do on the plane if you wanted to procrastinate."

Jay smirked over at her. "Like you?"

"Me? Procrastinate?" Alia asked in mock offense before grinning. "Yeah."

Jay chuckled, shaking his head at her.

The door swung open again, and just as Jay was about to joke that there was no privacy around here, Jordan hurried in.

"It's on!" she exclaimed, grabbing a remote off the mattress and turning on the large flat screen TV on the wall across the room. Jay and Alia watched curiously as the TV turned on and almost instantly the Auradon news channel appeared with Snow White front and center on the screen.

 _"Hello Auradon! I'm Snow White, bringing you breaking news from right here in Agrabah. Aladdin and Jasmine announced some amazing news just half an hour ago."_

Jay swallowed nervously, knowing there was no going back now. The announcement to everyone, which finished less than an hour ago, had been beyond nerve-wracking. And now it would officially be announced to the world.

 _"About sixteen years ago, Aladdin and Jasmine gave birth to a set of twins, a son Jason, and daughter Alia. However, when the babies were just weeks old, Jason was kidnapped from his home in the Agrabah palace. All of Auradon searched for ages, but the young prince was never found. But now, sixteen years later, Jason has returned."_

Alia glanced at Jay, checking that he was okay, but his expression was blank as he stared at the screen. The only indication that he was nervous was the fact that he was leaning forward slightly and fiddling with his pencil.

 _"You all know that a month ago, newly-appointed King Ben brought four teenagers over from the Isle of the Lost. Among the four was Jay, son of Jafar. However, in his stay at Auradon Prep, he connected with and became friends with Alia, Aladdin and Jasmine's daughter. The two became close and somehow decided it was possible that they were twins. A DNA test proved their theory with a 50% match. Jay, now proven to be Prince Jason, has recently reconnected with his family, and Sultan Aladdin and Jasmine announced the news just this morning."_

The screen changed to show Aladdin and Jasmine standing on a small balcony overlooking a large crowd of people. Alia and Jay were just visible behind them. Alia could just see that Jay was trying not to look nervous. Alia was raised and taught how to keep her composure, especially in front of the media, and she could barely see on the TV how her own arm was pressed against Jay's in silent support. Aladdin raised his hand for silence before speaking into a microphone sticking out of a podium.

 _"Thank you all for coming. I have some amazing news to announce. Our son, Jason, who was taken from us when he was a baby, has returned."_

The screen switched back to show Snow White. _"After the announcement, we were lucky enough to have a brief interview with the family."_

Once again, the screen changed to show one of the many sitting rooms in the Agrabah palace. Snow White was sitting on a comfy chair, and Aladdin, Jasmine, Jay, and Alia were all sitting close together on the couch. This was from the interview that happened less than an hour ago. Alia and her parents were sitting straight, Alia and her mother both had their ankles crossed as they were raised to. Aladdin had one leg crossed over the other, his arm on the back of the couch behind his wife. Jay sat in a more laidback fashion; he sat mostly straight, though he leaned back against the couch with his legs spread.

 _"So, Jason-or do you prefer Jay?"_ Snow White asked.

 _"Uh, yeah, I prefer Jay."_ he answered, trying to sound at ease.

 _"How do you feel about all this? Finding out your parents are Aladdin and Jasmine after being raised by Jafar? Surely you were raised to hate these people?"_ Snow White asked.

Jay casually took a deep breath. _"I mean, yeah it was overwhelming-still is, I guess. But Alia and my parents have been helping me adjust to all this."_

Snow White nodded in understanding before turning to Alia. _"Princess Alia, I have to ask, what brought you and Jay together? Surely, thinking he was the son of Jafar, you would want to steer clear of him. What possessed you to even approach him?"_

On the screen, Jay was smothering a grin, and Alia was chuckling slightly. _"Uh, I actually ran into him a couple times-literally. I suppose I was kind of nervous to meet him, but after we started talking he made me feel so at ease. I felt comfortable around him almost instantly, and we have a lot in common."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Uh-"_

 _"Chocolate."_ Jay answered, making Alia laugh in embarrassment. _"We both love chocolate. And we're both athletic."_

 _"And we both get certain qualities from our dad."_ Alia added, subtly referring to their knack for stealing. _"Not to mention, we learned we have the same birthday."_

Snow White laughed briefly before asking, _"What made you even consider the possibility that he was Jason?"_

Alia took a deep breath, exchanging a glance with Jay. _"Well, from the moment I met him, I knew there was something familiar about him. Whether it was his eyes or his laugh. Then, I went home to Agrabah a few weeks back and saw a tapestry here in the palace. I'd seen it a thousand times, but seeing the family portrait of my parents holding me and Jason-it just clicked. Of course, I thought I was crazy and tried convincing myself otherwise. But eventually the truth came out. We told our parents about a week later."_

 _"So, Jay, you knew you weren't really Jafar's son when you and the other Isle kids tried to steal Fairy Godmother's wand?"_

Alia winced as she watched the interview. Her on-screen self glanced worriedly at Jay when he tensed. Clearing his throat, Jay answered the question carefully.

 _"I'm not proud of it, and even before I found out I'd been having second thoughts on the plan to steal the wand. All my friends were. But…it was difficult. Being raised one way, believing things are a certain way, and then finding a life that's the complete opposite…it messes with you."_

Alia on the TV screen subtly bumped her knee against Jay's after his little speech. A subtle sign of support. Watching the interview on her brother's bed, Alia glanced over at Jay.

"It's weird, sitting here but seeing myself on the TV." was all Jay said. Alia and Jordan laughed, but Alia knew Jay was coping with the awkwardness of the interview with humor.

Meanwhile, Snow White turned to address Aladdin and Jasmine. _"Can you describe how it feels? Having your son returned?"_

 _"It's wonderful."_ Jasmine answered tearfully while Aladdin tightened his hold around her shoulders. _"When I first met him, I thought that he looked familiar, but he didn't look like Jafar. When him and Alia told us the truth,…I didn't want to let him go."_ she admitted with a watery laugh. _"I think I annoyed him a bit, calling him or video chatting with him everyday this past week."_

Sitting next to Jasmine, Jay smiled sheepishly down at his lap.

 _"Correct me if I'm wrong,"_ Snow White continued to Aladdin, _"but Jay is the older of the two. Wouldn't that mean he's next in line to be Sultan of Agrabah?"_

 _"We're still deciding how that will be worked out."_ Aladdin answered diplomatically. _"Being raised on the Isle, Jay didn't have the best childhood, but there's plenty of time before Jasmine and I plan to step down. We will be discussing plans for the future, as a family. We will make the best decision for Agrabah, Auradon, and our family."_

Snow White made a few noises of agreement before turning to Jay. _"Just one more question for you, Jay."_ When Jay nodded, she continued, _"If you could say one thing to Jafar, after everything he did, what would you say?"_

Sitting next to him on the couch, Alia stared at her brother, waiting for his answer. Aladdin and Jasmine were watching him expectantly, as well.

Jay was thoughtfully silent for a few moments before he looked back at Snow White. _"With all due respect, if I could say one thing to Jafar, I'd prefer to say it to his face, in private. That's something that's between us."_

The interview ended shortly after that and the news program moved on to other topics. Jordan turned off the TV and reclined on Jay's couch. Alia turned in her spot on Jay's bed, looking at him. Jay distractedly petted Raisa's head, so that the tiger purred loudly, pressing her head into his hand.

"I think that went well." Alia stated confidently.

Jay huffed a short laugh. "Now let's see how many people riot over the possibility of me ruling Agrabah, after being raised by Jafar."

Alia frowned. "Screw them." Jay looked up in surprise. "No one's going to riot, and if they do, screw them. They don't know anything about you; not really. You'll prove yourself to all of them, you've already done it when you chose to be good instead of evil. Just be yourself, Jay. No one's expecting you to completely change who you are just to fit the stereotype of a prince. Chad fits that stereotype, and I wouldn't want to live in a kingdom ruled by him if my life depended on it."

Jay laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

"It's the most sensible way of looking at it." Alia countered, smiling. "How you grew up may not make you who you are, but it does have an impact. You just have to choose what kind of impact you want it to have on your future."

Jay smiled thoughtfully over at her.

"Well, with you around, I can't screw up too badly."

Alia grinned. "I think we'll make a pretty good team."

 _The End…_

 _For Now_

 **XXX**

 **Well, that's the end of** _ **Stolen Half**_ **. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited it!**

 **I've mentioned wanting to write a sequel. It wouldn't be as unique as this one; it would just take place during** _ **Descendants 2,**_ **and Alia being Alia, she would not let her brother go back to the Isle of the Lost alone, would she?**

 **I'm not going to post the sequel today, because I want to work on it a bit more before I do. I'll update this story to let you guys know when I've posted the sequel.**

 **Let me know what you all thought of this story! I really appreciate reviews more than you can imagine!**

 **And please let me know if there's anything specific you want to see in the sequel!**


	23. Sequel is Here!

**The sequel is posted! Go find it on my profile under My Stories!**

 **Here's a short description of it:**

 _ **Stolen Half 2: Inner Street Rat**_

 _The villain kids have been adjusting to life in Auradon since they chose good. Six months later, Jay's adjusting to not only being good, but being a prince. Luckily, he seems to have more support than Mal, who snaps under the pressure of being the King's girlfriend. Now, they have to plan a trip to the Isle of the Lost to bring her back, but Alia is not letting her brother and friends go without her._


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